How to Reduce Holiday Parenting Stress

The holidays can be a wonderful time of year for families--but with all the various moving parts (like shopping and decorating), high expectations from the kiddies, and other obligations, it can be a stressful time as well. Here are a few tips to reduce the tension and thus heighten the enjoyment of the season.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. United We Stand: Parents should make sure to be on the same page, with such issues as how much to spend for gifts, what to buy for the children; and how to deal with/handle the extended family, relatives, in-laws, etc. during the holidays/visits. Try to agree on reasonable bedtimes/curfews for the kids, and what is realistically within your budget in terms of spending.
2. Give YOURSELF a Time-Out: Take time for yourself no matter how brief! Do not try to do everything at once--space yourself accordingly. Don’t put your shopping off until the 24th, which will make it impossible for you to stop and relax now and then.
3. ACT, Don't React. Do not react to the inevitable stresses of the holidays. Children will often become quite excitable during the holiday season. Parents should view this heightened activity as part of the celebration time and not react to it. Of course, if the parents are controlling their own stress, they should have a somewhat easier time dealing with the children; It should be noted, however, that the basic rules of the household regarding acceptable behavior should continue to be adhered to.
4. Pick your battles to avoid a war. Children can be more difficult during the holidays due to all the excitability, so decide what issues are really worth contending with them on. This doesn’t mean you should let them stay up to 2am on Christmas Eve, but it might mean letting them stretch their regular bedtime a bit to get some cookies out for Santa.
5. If the weather allows, get out with your children for some strolls or other forms of exercise. These are not only relaxing forms of activity, but will help ensure your children are actually a bit tired when bedtime rolls around.
6. Eliminate words like ‘must’, should,’ and ‘have to’ from your regular vocabulary. This type of language—i.e. “I have to get all the gifts wrapped soon!”—only heightens the anxiety and doesn’t actually accomplish a thing. Try terminology like “it would be nice if I could complete some of the wrapping this evening.” Believe it or not, this will relieve some of the pressure we all put on ourselves.
7. Rather than competitive group activities—like card or board games—seek out calming and cooperative things to do. Taking turns reading from classic holiday stories, caroling on your block, or watching a nice family movie like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ or ‘A Christmas Story.’