It is already the middle of September and soon the holidays will be upon us. We need time to prepare for these important upcoming celebrations.
The holidays are still months away. But if we do not prepare for them, we will feel much more stressed during and right after these special days.
If you do just a few things now, you can mitigate the holiday and post-holiday stress a great deal.
Financial Planning
Gifts cost money, so it is wise to spend time planning ahead financially if you have not already done so.
Make a list of people you need to buy gifts for, what you might want to buy for them, and how much these gifts will cost.
Consider using “Lay away” to purchase these gifts. If you can find them for a good price in a store with this purchase option.
You should also price compare, especially if you shop online. Click here to learn how to get the best deals when shopping online.
Emotional Planning
At your last year’s holiday gatherings, were there any conflicts? If so, waiting until the holiday tension is here this year will only make the old conflicts more difficult to deal with.
If your Mom and brother did not even speak to each other at the family Christmas party last year, perhaps you can encourage them to mend their rift now.
You could try the classic mediator’s tactic of telling each one something positive you heard about him from the other one. For example, in a nonchalant way, you could mention to your brother that your Mom thinks he is a great Dad to his kids. To your Mom, you could say that your brother loves a certain meal that she cooks.
This tactic can help change their negative thinking about each other. This makes it more likely they will be willing to try to get along better this holiday season.
Time Planning
If you have a busy family life, perhaps you need to talk with your immediate family about how each member wants to spend the holiday time and work out a schedule in advance.
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The holidays are a happy time for many people, but for many others the stress of this time of year is overwhelming.
If you plan ahead, you can take much of the stress out of holiday time.
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