Christmas Stress Relief: 7 Simple Tips

Everyone loves Christmas, but the biggest complaint I hear is, "It gets too hectic." It's still the favorite season for most of us, but we do get tired. We still have to make a living; we still have to maintain our daily lives and then we add shopping for gifts, wrapping the gifts, decorating, entertaining or attending parties and possibly baking. It's fun and festive, but we get tired.

Take some of the stress out of Christmas. Don't wait until the Christmas season begins to start thinking about it. Plan ahead and you'll enjoy it even more. Here are seven stress-relieving tips to make your favorite holiday relaxed and worry-free.

Decide Who You Want To Buy For

Make a list of the people you want to buy gifts for: Recipients. Keep it with you as a reminder, or at the least, keep it in your head. Open your eyes and window shop. When you see something you know you like, go ahead and buy it. And think outside the box. When you shop all year, you have the opportunity to do this. Every Christmas gift doesn't have to be a sweater or winter-type gift.

Shop From Home

Shop on the Internet. Have fun and explore. Many gift sites run promotionals off-and-on year round. When you're not under pressure to buy immediately, you have time to "window shop". And don't forget to keep your gift list in front of you.

Record What You Buy

Make a list of the gifts that you buy: Gifts Purchased. Each time you make a gift purchase, whether it's on the Internet or in the store, put it on the list. If you know specifically to whom you are giving it, put his or her name next to it. Go back to your Recipients list and write the name of the gift next to the person you are giving it to. You now have a cross-reference. Sound too complicated and organized? It's not. It's really easy. If you don't make some kind of notes, you'll get real confused when it comes time to wrap. You won't remember who was supposed to get what.

Buy Decorations In The Off-Season

Buy Christmas decorations year-round on the Internet. And in the off-season you can get them at reduced prices. Buy your decorations all year and when the Christmas season arrives, you'll be ready.

Wrap Sooner Not Later

As soon as Christmas wrapping paper is placed on the shelves, start selecting and buying. By this time, you should have a shelf full of presents to wrap. Wrap at your leisure; a few at a time or all at once. Just enjoy it. You have time to make the presents look outstanding. Give them that added decorative touch that will make the recipient feel special and give you the opportunity to be creative.

Record What You Wrap

You have two lists to cross-reference. Check off or make changes as necessary. If you didn't make a list, you should make one now. Don't make the mistake I made one year. I got all my wrapping done early, and by the time Christmas came, I couldn't remember what I was giving everyone or exactly what it looked like. I remember wishing I had a digital camera. I could have taken pictures of the presents before wrapping them. I don't have to worry about that now. I have a list and a digital camera.

Collect Recipes

Don't wait until you have to prepare a dish for a party to decide what you want to make. Start collecting recipes from magazines and friends. But don't stop there. You have plenty of times to try them out. Put stars beside the ones you especially like and will be proud to serve. When the time comes, it will be fast and easy to make choices.

Christmas can be a pleasure, even before the season begins. Enjoy your window-shopping whether it's in the stores or on the Internet. But be ready to buy when you see something you like. Make your choices wisely and keep up with your lists. Following this plan will be a great stress reliever come Christmas time. Have fun and keep on enjoying Christmas.

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Combating Christmas Shopping Stress

Anne Gadsden handles Christmas shopping the "new fashioned" way. She puts on a CD of classical music such as Pachelbel's Canon in D, logs on to the internet, and starts surfing. The Newark mother of three says, "I've already done the store thing and now its time for me to get gifts for family members who don't live in New Jersey. I visit Amazon and Buy.com; between the two companies I usually find something that I need. Besides, shipping is free if I spend at least $25 and that isn't hard to do!"

Tasha Crimson shops early. Very early. "I shop all summer long starting when we go to the shore after July 4th all the way up to Labor Day. That's when I'm done. I don't have to put up with the hassles, I shop at my own speed, and I don't have to freeze as I run from my car to the store!," the East Orange grandmother of eight chuckled.

In Wanaque, Bob Caprioti has his own style of shopping. Or not. He simply has his wife pick up everything for her family, his family and for their three children. "She knows I hate to shop. Fortunately, Rita loves to shop; why not let her do what she wants to do and let me do what I want to do?" So, does Rita buy gifts for herself and mark them from Bob? "No, I won't go that far. My mother loves to shop so I go out with her to the Willowbrook Mall and we find what I need for Rita. Mom knows what Rita likes and makes it as painless as possible for me."

Angela Rodriguez of Fair Lawn laughs when asked about her shopping methods. "I don't begin to shop until the day after Christmas. My family is from Peru and we celebrate the Feast of the Three Wise Men when we get together in early January. We're scattered all over the place and it is too difficult to meet up on Christmas. So, instead of shopping ahead of time, I wait 'til after Christmas and get all the markdowns." When asked what she does on Christmas Angela replied, "I'm single and work in New York. I hang out with friends and co-workers who are by themselves for the holidays. Then, on New Year's Day I fly to Florida for a week to be with my family. I ship everything out ahead of time, so I'm not lugging all the stuff through the airport."

Tamara Williams loves to shop, especially in crowds. The Hackensack resident replied, "I do a little bit in early December, but I really don't get going until a few days before Christmas. The best prices can be found then and it just seems more like Christmas." When asked how close to Christmas she shops Tamara answered, "I usually don't finish up 'til Christmas Eve. One year, while I was working at Stern's at the Bergen Mall I got off at 2 p.m. and began my shopping. When the store closed at 6 p.m. I made my final purchase and went home! I was working at the store and attending college full time. My finals were done only the day before, so my first opportunity to shop was on Christmas Eve. I start late, but not that late anymore!"

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Holiday Decorating: Good for You or Added Stress?

December gives us the perfect excuse to pamper ourselves with holiday cheer. No matter which holiday tradition you celebrate, decorating your home is good for you. Psychologists report that change, planning, and entertainment make people happy. Change your environment for the holidays and plan to entertain yourself as well as guests.

Holiday decorations change stagnant rooms. When your accessories and mementos stay in the same place day after day, you soon get used to them and no longer notice your treasure in the same old location. Moving things around and adding holiday decorations to your spaces makes everything feel new again.

You increase your happiness when you decorate your home for the holidays. If you take out the stress. When you make a huge production out of decorating your home for the holidays, you can easily become overwhelmed and turn a happy event into a stress-filled ordeal. Balance, the key to happiness, will help you keep holiday decorating FUN. Don't take on too much. It doesn't take a lot of decorations to instill holiday cheer!

Have you ever noticed that when you plan a party that the actual planning makes you happy? Psychologists say that's because people love to daydream and plan. An added bonus, the more time you take to plan a party, the more organized the event, and the better the result.

Guests love to come to a home decked out in holiday splendor. The festive air created with candles, decorations, and music provides the backdrop for happy interactions. It's hard for someone to not be happy when they enter a home in celebration mood.

Take some time for yourself and enjoy your holiday decorating. Pamper yourself and your guests.

Copyright ?Jeanette J. Fisher

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Holiday Stress? Take Care of You!

The holidays usually provoke pleasant feelings and happy times. Unfortunately, they can often also be a major source of stress. It is very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of shopping, decorating, baking, parties, and visiting with family and friends. There is so much going on around us and so many obligations we feel we need to fulfill. How do you keep your head above water in all this commotion?

First of all, there is no one solution, nor does the same thing work for everyone. Start by taking a deep breath. The important lesson here is to pace yourself, and to make sure you are taking care of yourself along the way. Too often we find ourselves getting run down or sick at this time of the year. Then, when we are down, how do we enjoy the holidays?

Some tips to help you have a happy holiday season:
* Get plenty of sleep.
* Eat healthy meals (while at parties, eat smaller portions).
* Get as much exercise as you can.
* Say "no" once in a while. You do not have to be all things to all people.
* Avoid excessive alcohol.
* Spend time with fun people.
* Borrow some holiday cheer and spread it around.
* Laugh often.

Following these tips is sure to enhance your holiday spirit, and lessen your stress. Lighten up and enjoy yourself this holiday season. You deserve it!

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