Let's face it, there is a lot of energy spent in spreading holiday cheer.  With this in mind, here are four ways to keep the stress down so that you really can enjoy the holidays:

1. Remain centered and keep your priorities straight.  It is a good idea to sit down and figure out what the top three things are on your list then placing these things where you can see them.  Of course, if you are married, this should be something that you do together.  Regardless, the idea is that having your priorities in front of you will help whenever you have to come up with your commitments and compromises.
2. Enjoy memories from the past holidays that your family has enjoyed together.  This will help you to remember what the holidays really mean to you and thus what is actually important.  You can then work to incorporate more of these types of activities into your holidays.  One great way in which to do this is by surrounding yourself with photographs that you have taken during previous holiday celebrations.
3. Do not allow commercialism spoil your holiday.  It seems that there is a BIG push to spend so much money during the holidays that you actually end up miserable because you go into debt.  Instead of allowing this to ruin your holiday, take some time to think about ways in which you can actually enjoy shopping for the holidays.  Your sense of holiday spirit will actually thank you for doing this.  This is why you should stop shopping just as soon as it ceases to be fun.  Another idea is to spend the money that you would usually spend on gifts on a weekend getaway for your family.  You can also find great joy in making homemade gifts for one another since the holidays should be more about the relationship than the gifts anyways. 
4. Start early, plan well and take care of yourself.  Reinvigorate old family traditions.  Simplify whenever you can.  Take care of your health.  Treat yourself to a massage, manicure or other special treat.  Keep a joy journal in which you keep track of those little things in your life that really make you happy.  It is really all about enjoying the holiday, even though there are a lot of Scrooges around at this time of the year.

If you are able to do these things you will definitely find yourself enjoying the holidays a lot more.

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