How to Plan Ahead for a Low-Stress Holiday

Every adult's fantasy for the month of December? A seamlessly organized and enjoyable holiday season where there's plenty of time for everything. The reality, of course, is that the holiday season is chaotic: chock-full of frenetic shopping trips, party planning and a packed calendar of events. Here are some stress-busters that will allow you to actually enjoy the spirit of the season and all the merrymaking-- without the January hangover.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Shop when no one else does. Take off a midweek morning and shop the malls when they open. Or don't shop at all. Make certificates for friends and family entitling them to a movie, dinner or other treat with you whenever they wish. Shop online day or night.
2. Make room for your new purchases. Purge worn or broken decorations and loosen your grasp on holiday items with sentimental value that stay in storage, year after year. See 1 Get Organized and 12 Get Rid of What You Don't Want.
3. Set a budget for how much you can spend on the holidays, including gifts, wrapping paper, decorations, postage, food and parties. See 351 Stay Within a Budget This Christmas.
4. Prepare your kids for the types and quantity of gifts they'll be getting (translation: no pony). Find ways to de-emphasize the commercialism for your family. Collect food and blankets for the needy, wrap gifts for children in the hospital, help out at a soup kitchen and so on. See 383 Plan a Toy Drive.
5. Prepare as much food ahead of time as possible. Cook or bake dishes a couple of weeks out and freeze them. Also, buy liquor and beverages during sales to avoid waiting in hour-long lines right before the holidays. See 352 Prepare a Holiday Feast and 315 Plan Party Foods Ahead.
6. Splurge on a cleaning service or rental dishes. Two of the biggest headaches of a holiday dinner are cleaning up before people arrive and cleaning up after they leave. If you have any extra money, hire a service to clean your home. Think about renting dishes: When dinner is finished, you just put the dirty plates in crates and return them to the rental service. See also 64 Get Ready for the Housecleaner.
7. Relinquish control and ask for help. One of the biggest mistakes people make at this time of year is thinking they have to do it all themselves. When someone offers to bring dessert, say yes. If you're stressed about getting dinner done before the party, ask someone to set the table or peel the potatoes (see 317 Finish Dinner on Time). No one expects you to be a hero--except perhaps yourself.
8. Set a deadline--say, December 15 (some people finish as early as December 1)--to have your shopping and wrapping done. You'll have time to kick back, relax and enjoy the season. If you leave all your running around until the last minute, you'll miss the essence of Christmas or Hanukkah (not to mention experiencing headaches and panic attacks). Volunteer your family to help.
9. Learn to say "no" to overnight guests if your home isn't big enough or you have too much on your plate. See 13 Say No Without Feeling Guilty.
10. Research charities to which you'd like to contribute, long before the holiday season gets under way. Many need assistance year round.

Tips & Warnings

• Get enough sleep. Nothing is worse than sleep deprivation during a stressful period like the holidays. If that means skipping out on a party early, do it.
• Bear in mind that alcohol can disrupt your sleep--just when you need it most. You might want to keep tabs on your intake levels.
• Make holiday visitation arrangements for your children with your ex-spouse long before the holidays to avoid stress and conflict during an already emotionally and physically loaded time. See 288 Make Child Custody Arrangements.
• Read 331 Hire a Caterer. You don't have to have him or her cater the whole affair. For example, ask the caterer to just cook the main dishes and supply a cleanup person, and you'll take care of dessert.

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