By Jennie from She Likes Purple

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the stresses of the holiday season nearly outweigh the fun for me. I have all the same responsibilities and obligations as the rest of the year — bills to pay, deadlines to meet, a house to keep clean — with added schedule busters such as holiday parties, holiday shopping and holiday baking. All that added stuff is fun, definitely, but it’s still a wonder any of us make it to the first week of January ready to tackle a frozen dinner let alone an entire resolutions list!

Still, I have a few might-be-worth-sharing tricks that get me through the season with limited stress and even a little holiday spirit, too.

Pick and Choose Traditions to Suit Your Family

It can sometimes feel as if we go through the holiday motions because we feel we have to. We decorate the tree, make an elaborate Christmas night spread and buy a dozen gifts for everyone on our list because, well, that’s just what you do. Honestly, the truly great thing about the holidays is that as adults we get to decide what traditions to embrace. Skip the ham and make a pizza for Christmas Eve dinner, do without a Christmas tree, buy instead of bake your holiday cookies. Minimize your stress by choosing holiday traditions that bring you nothing but joy.

Embrace Secret Santa

It’s no secret we’re all spending less these days. So, it should be a welcome idea to draw names for Christmas gifts instead of tossing present after present into our Amazon shopping carts. Put one person in charge of assigning names for the entire family or circle of friends and then send out an email with who has who. Put a nice limit on the gift ($50-75, for example). You’ll still spend less for one special person than one small thing for 18 cousins or your entire department at work. Also, I’ve found, presents become more personal when you have a larger budget and a shorter list.

Keep Holiday Cards Simple

Round-up addresses in July, print your labels instead of hand-addressing or, if you’re really short on time and money, send out holiday e-cards (there are some great options through evite.com or even someecards.com, if you have a different sense of humor).

Put Your Schedule Front and Center

No matter how many mental notes I make or how much I intend to keep my Google calendar updated, nothing is better for staying organized than having something physical to look at. Hang a monthly calendar somewhere in your home (with large, easy-to-write-in boxes) and write everything down, from when the company Christmas party is to when you need to go grocery shopping to best beat the crowds to when you want the gifts to be wrapped by. It’s easy to forget a cookie-decorating party here, a holiday parade there, so don’t expect yourself to. Write it all down instead.

The real key to a holiday season without the side dish of stress, though, is to make your holiday yours. Say no if you’re overextended, say yes if you need out of the house and make sure you tell the kids not wake you on Christmas morning until after the sun is up and the coffee is hot. Happy holidays!

Do you have any tips to share on how to survive the holiday season?