Holiday Stress

Keep your expectations in check this holiday season. Pushing yourself to be perfect is a surefire way to get stressed out.


The hectic pace of the holidays can make us less than a joy to be around. Part of that stress comes from thinking we have to do it all – and perfectly. Reassess your to-do list and decide which items can be nixed from your list, what can be delegated to someone else, and what can be swapped out for something simpler.

For instance, is someone really going to notice if the lights on your tree are uneven? Likewise, even if your kids aren’t great with tape and wrapping paper, you can still put them on gift-wrapping duty. Just affix each present with a label that says, “Lovingly wrapped by Santa’s little helper.” If something’s taking up too much time, ask yourself how you can simplify the task.