Ah… the holidays! It’s a wonderful time for family togetherness, bonding
with friends and loved ones and sharing activities done only once a year, such
as baking cookies and decorating the yard. Yes?

Actually, the answer for many people is a resounding “no.” Many people feel a
great deal of stress during the holiday season.

So Why Are We So Stressed at Holiday Time?

There can be many reasons why we feel stressed at what should be the happiest
times of year. Here are a few:

• First of all, there’s a lot more to do around the holidays.
  Entertaining, shopping for gifts, attending special functions, and
  accommodating out of town visitors are just a few of the tasks you may be
  trying to add into an already busy lifestyle.
• Secondly, losses can revive intense feelings during the holidays. People
  who are separated or divorced may be angry or sad about the changes in–or
  absence of–family traditions. Someone who has lost a parent or spouse may
  mourn that death all over again at the holidays. Parents whose children have
  grown up and moved away may fiercely miss the joyous excitement a child
  brings to a holiday. When you’re feeling this way, having to “put on a happy
  face” with the rest of the world can be truly tough.
• All change is stressful, even if you view it as a “good” change, such as
  spending more time with family and exchanging gifts. The bottom line is that
  you’re forced to make changes in your regular routine, sometimes for a
  period of several weeks, and that can be stressful.

These are just a few of the things that can lead to holiday stress. You will
certainly think of more. So, can anything be done to prevent the holidays from
becoming a time for anxiety, frustration, and “the blues” for you and your loved
ones?

The answer to that question is yes, definitely. Let’s take a look…

10 Quick Holiday Stress-Busting Tips

1. Make time for exercise. Exercise is a great stress-buster.
   Studies have shown that vigorous exercise–even walking or dancing–produces
   endorphins in your body. Endorphins are proteins that stimulate pleasurable
   feelings. So, if you’re already in the habit of exercising daily, keep it
   up! If you’re not, then try to make time–even if just 15 to 30 minutes a
   day–to be active.
2. Get plenty of rest. Stress is hard on your body, as well as your
   mind. Replenish your energy resources by getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a
   night, minimum. You’ll be able to face tomorrow easier if you get enough
   rest tonight.
3. Learn to take mini-breaks periodically during the day. When the
   feelings of stress start to mount–or you see them coming–STOP! Stop
   whatever you’re doing (even if just for a minute or two), close your eyes,
   and take 3 deep breaths. Breathe in to a slow count of 5 and then out to a
   slow count of 5. Repeat as needed. Open your eyes, and try to smile. When we
   smile, it often makes us feel lighter, at least for a few moments.
4. Make time at the end and beginning of each day to review your goals
   and make a “to-do” list. Try to pull together short lists of the 6 to 10
   most important things you need to get accomplished that day. Knowing
   precisely what needs to be done and then being able to check each task off
   as accomplished can go a long way towards helping you feel in control. And
   that can prevent stress too.
5. Schedule “down time” into each day. This is time just for you. It
   doesn’t have to be a lot of time. Even a half hour of time when you don’t
   have to answer to anyone else can be invaluable. Use this time to do
   whatever helps you relax most. Some people like to listen to music. Others
   enjoy reading. Social animals may enjoy chatting with friends or family on
   the telephone or over the Internet. You might find that writing in your
   journal or diary helps relieve stress. Whatever works for you, just make
   sure you do it each day!
6. Build cushion time into your day. Very few of us have totally
   predictable schedules every day. During the holidays, this can get even
   worse… traffic tie ups, unexpected demands at work and home, visitors you
   didn’t anticipate, etc. “Plan” for these unplanned events by not scheduling
   every minute of your day. This will allow you to be more flexible when these
   events pop up.
7. Learn to get comfortable with saying “no.” Not one of us can keep
   functioning if we say “yes” to every request or demand made upon us. If you
   don’t “say no” once in a while, then you’re going to find yourself
   over-committed and over-stressed.
8. Ask a friend or family member for a hug. This stress buster may
   sound kind of silly, but the truth is, we all benefit from simple human
   touch. And hugs have been proven to have beneficial effects. So, don’t be
   afraid to ask for yours!
9. Learn to accept that a certain amount of stress IS a part of everyday
   life. No, stress need not be overwhelming on a consistent basis. But, if
   you want everything in your life to go smoothly all the time, then you’re
   setting unrealistic expectations. And that can only lead to disappointment
   and let down. So, anticipate some stress and just roll with the punches best
   you can.
10. Don’t add financial woes to your list of stressors, if you can help
    it. Holidays are often connected with gifts, but that doesn’t mean the
    gifts have to be expensive purchases. Homemade gifts are often much more
    highly valued for the caring and effort that goes into them. Or, consider
    giving away a service, such as a promise of a massage or babysitting. Get
    creative… you can surely find many ways of giving that don’t involve
    cleaning out your wallet or pocketbook.

Holidays or not, online shopping is fast becoming the main shopping choice
for many people. People prefer online stores for their shopping needs over the
brick-and-mortar stores for a variety of reasons – discounted price, quick price
comparisons, unavailability of desired items in the retail stores, 24 hours
shopping convenience, etc. Whatever the reason is, before you jump into the
online shopping bandwagon, you must consider a few things to avoid frustration
and monetary loss.

Before you pull out your credit card to buy an item at an unbelievably reduced
price, think about the reasons why the merchant is throwing out his profits.
Maybe it is a total scam and they want your credit card number to rip you off.
It is wise to stay with the big online shopping sites. Sites that are publicly traded or
reputable private companies that do not spam your email inbox with unsolicited
advertisements. If you find a shopping site, advertised in a spam e-mail, that
sells $100 software for $10, you can bet that it is a scammer’s site.

Ask your friends about their experiences with online shopping sites to select
sites that are worthy of your hard earned money. Another approach is to use a
search engine like Google to search for items you plan to purchase. When you use
Google to search for an item, you will get advertised and non-advertised sites
offering your items at different prices. Check out a few sites before you decide
to make a purchase.

If you have to shop with an unknown online merchant, check for their telephone
number at their Web site. Contact someone at the merchant’s physical location
and talk to them. Ask them about their privacy and refund policy. If you cannot
find a phone number or the phone number goes to a voice mail, instead to a live
person, go shopping somewhere else. There are dozens, if not hundreds, good
online merchants for any items you want to buy.

At the online checkout counter, you have to use a credit card to pay. When you
use your credit card, make sure that your credit card and personal information
are sent using encryption to avoid someone intercepting your information for
unauthorized use. To check for encryption, look for https in the URL. It is
perfectly safe if the site has http in its URL for all pages except the order
page – the page where you enter your credit card and other personal information
like address, etc.

Always use a credit card to pay for your online purchases. Most credit cards
have online purchase protection. If something goes wrong, you can always call
your credit card company and dispute the charge. You do not have to pay for your
disputed charges till the dispute is resolved. Federal laws limit your liability
to $50 in charges should someone uses your card fraudulently. Never use a debit
card. Debit cards pull money from your bank account as soon as the transaction
is made. If you are ripped off, it may take months before you get your money
back, if you ever see it again.

Despite all the cautionary warnings, online shopping is safer than shopping
offline. You do not have to take a shower, dress up, drive and mingle with other
shoppers and touch anything in the store for online shopping. How safe can it
be? If you are careful, you can guard yourself against identity and credit card
thefts by following safety tips discussed above. When you are using a credit
card in an offline venue, there is a person, such as the sales person, who
processes the transaction and this person can also see your private information.
In online transactions, the middle man is eliminated. If you do your research,
watch for signs of fraud and only use credit cards for your purchases, online
shopping provides more benefits over offline shopping.

The truth of the matter is that, as we get older, Christmas can become a little bit stale and boring, and we will look at the idea of Christmas as simply being a time when we spend money without there really being much magic to the holiday. To take some of this jaded approach away from the holiday, it can be a nice idea to put a new slant on the holiday by adding a theme to your celebrations.

Sure, for most people Christmas itself is quite enough of a theme. The holiday is something that for so many people is magical. But if a new concept is what you need in order to get excited, then you can look at any of a range of ideas. Some potential ideas along these lines will be, for example, saving the planet, helping others or supporting a charity. If those concepts are too broad it is possible to narrow the niche slightly and make it more novel. If you have a favorite film or song, or a book you enjoy, you can try and incorporate those into your celebrations, decorations and gifts.

This is something that can work particularly well for adults who have no children. Once you have become a parent, the whole magic of Christmas kicks off again, because it is the novelty of the holiday that really makes it for most.

There is a very good reason why many people worry about Christmas in advance of the holiday. The fact of the matter is that Christmas can cost an awful lot of money, and leave us in a position where we have debts to pay off after the wrapping paper has been recycled, the food digested and the parties processed through brain, liver and social diary.

It can make you wonder whether it is all worth the bother. The truth of the matter is that, for some people, Christmas just is not special enough to merit the kind of financial outlay that is expected of all, demanded of most and essential for some. Try as you might to resist the Christmas holiday, when the day comes you will hear the songs, see the TV specials and, in all likelihood, welcome the visitors through your door – and they will expect to be fed and offered drinks, too.

One way of defraying the cost of Christmas is to have an agreement with family and friends. By saying to one another “Let’s do this, but do it in a sensible way”, you can apply spending limits to the situation and ensure that the cost doesn’t go too crazy. Sometimes, people will break the terms of this agreement, wanting to be remembered as the person who bought the best gifts. That’s life, and is unavoidable – but it is they who will be paying for it for longer.

The holiday season is a time of year that draws strong reactions from a wide range of people. As much as it is a time for family and theoretically to be enjoyed, it does have its opponents. There are people who are thoroughly displeased by the idea of a holiday which used to be about family togetherness and happiness being turned into a corporate festival which relies on rampant consumerism. Looking at the supermarkets which have Christmas related lines on their shelves from September onwards it is not hard to understand their points.

However it is inevitable that this kind of commercialism will take a grip on a holiday where gifts play a major part. Knowing that people will spend money to get the best gift for those who they love, the companies with something to sell will put a lot of their advertising budget into the Christmas period. The inevitable knock-on effect is that other companies will do the same to compete. Add this to an element of competition among families to get the “best” (read: most expensive) gifts, and you have a recipe for a commercial holiday.

Is it possible to enjoy the holiday season without being carried along on the waves of consumerism? Well, yes, of course it is. The most important thing to keep firmly in mind is that the holiday season is about people and not products. Gifts are wonderful, no doubt. But without the emotion behind them, they are still just things.