Christmas is supposed to be one of the most joyous times of the year. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, including me, Christmas is always filled with stress. How to get all the shopping done when I work full time is a chore in itself. Then there is the baking, taking kids to see Santa Claus, Christmas Eve festivities, buying gifts for co-workers at the office and others who helped me during the year as well, and let’s not forget the “ultimate nightmare” - yes, the Christmas dinner.

I know, I know, we go thinking, there is no way in the world that I’m going to manage to do this! I’ve tried to manage this before and it never seems to work out like I’d planned for it to. There is NO way that this season is going to be any different than all of the others, or is there? Might there be a way to get through the season without mayhem?

Think things through! That’s the ultimate secret for a stress-free Christmas. Before jumping into the madhouse of the holiday season, it’s imperative that you do a great deal of pre-planning. A good plan will help you manage your schedule and keep you organize so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with all of the things that need to get done.

You can do this; you can! Just focus on taking one step at a time. When you take the stress out of Christmas, it can once again become a joyous event that everyone in the family can look forward to with anticipation.

Have a merry, merry Christmas… and a Happy New Year!