© Michelle Howard Smith - All Rights Reserved

In today's world, holidays are seldom celebrated for their true meaning. Now more than ever, you need to be equipped with holiday stress relief tips if you are going to make it through the most stressful time of the year.

After all, you are supposed to be at your happiest during the holidays right?  Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming pressure of giving the biggest and best gifts, the holiday season has become a time in which you probably can't wait for it to come to an end.

Imagine the holidays being filled with good food, fun company, love, peace, and laughter.  Well, that's the way it's supposed to be.  However, it's not always as easy as it seems thanks to repetitive commercials on television, radio and in print that advertise the last toys, electronics and home goods.

Every time you turn around, there's an advertisement for the latest Playstation.  On top of that, there are those darn irresistable sales that just seem like a crime to pass up.

If you are going to beat holiday stress, you need to do things differently this holiday season. The following holiday stress relief tips are not only very practical, they will help you to prepare for the season so that you can sing, "'Tis the season to be jolly..." and actually mean it.

Practical Holiday Stress Relief Tips:

1. Work within the confines of your budget.  Allocating a specific amount of money that you are going to spend on gifts, decorations and food during the holidays will help you avoid holiday stress.  If you aren't managing your finances via a budget, you need to start one right away.  After you have determined what amount is to be paid toward bills, savings and other expenses, add a budget line entitled, "Holidays".  Save a set amount from each paycheck for this category.
   
   
2. Do not use credit cards.  I know this sounds difficult but when you get used to not using them, you will discover that you really don't need to.  Proper budgeting will give you enough cash to buy what you need and want during the holidays.  How helpful is it for you to go into debt to give a gift to someone and then when the bill rolls in, you are all stressed out because you are the one who is stuck for months paying visa, Mastercard or American Express?
   
   
3. Purchase certain items for your holiday dinners in advance such as cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, desert mix, boxes of maccaroni and other items that have a shelf life.
   
   
4. For serious holiday stress relief, this year instead of giving gifts, consider volunteering your time together as a family at a homeless shelter, food pantry or other organization.  You will discover how blessed you really are and that all of the "stuff" you get during the holidays is not all that important.
   
   
5. If you are going to give gifts, plan your gift giving in advance by doing a "Secret Santa" instead of giving gifts to everyone. The way Secret Santa works is, you put all the family/friends names in a bag and everyone draws out a name.
   
   For example, let's say there's Carol, James, Reese, April, Mike, and yourself.  Carol may draw your name, Mike may draw Carol's name etc.  Obviously, none of you should draw your own name.  If you do, then put it back and draw again.  The idea is for everyone to give just one gift.  If you really must give more than one, then each of you can put your name in the bag twice and you will each receive two gifts. It could be from the same person or two different people.  You get the picture.  This kind of gift giving really minimizes your stress levels.
   
   
6. Determine what time you are going to end your holi-days. If you are celebrating the holidays at someone else's place, it doesn't matter when the others arrive and leave.  You know how much you can take so don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed.
   
   
7. Finally, while spending time with family can be rewarding, it can also be stressful, especially if you have a big family.  After the holiday festivities are over, unwind with a relaxing hot bath and some soothing aromatherapy.

As you can see, there are a number of things you can do to prevent and ease stress associated with the holidays.  I hope you will find these holiday stress relief tips helpful.