TAME THE HOLIDAY STRESS  ~

KEEP YOUR NERVES AND WITS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

By, Jodie Lynn   The spirit during the holiday season becomes almost vague or even dull in the surge of the overwhelming feeling leading up to the main event.  Many of us wait until the last minute hoping that prices will come down or the right color, size or material might soon appear on the store shelves once again.     With travel, price of gas, schedules, school plays, shopping, cooking and wrapping of presents looming in the next few weeks, is there any possible alternative to recreate the true holiday spirit?  What about taking out any time for yourself?   Plan ahead and organize    

1.  Going Away?  There's Still a Few Good Travel Surprises Left: For many, holiday time means traveling, so get started as soon as possible.  If you just thought of wanting to go away for the holidays, there's a few good prices in air or bus fare and even group cruise fare.  When people wait until the last minute to secure tickets, sometimes, various companies have last minute cancellations due to weather and/or illness or simple change of mind from another would be traveler.  Research the area of where you want to go before arriving.       

2.  Stay on Your Budget: There's no need to overspend.  It might create a little extra work in the beginning to price out each item, but it will save a huge chunk of time in the end and you will be forever thankful.  Researching prices of gifts online is one of the easiest ways to make comparable deals.  If you find an item online and see that it is significantly different from the store price, you might order it from the online store.  Things to keep in mind is the shipping and handling fee of an online store. Sometimes, the money saved will be added back in just from theses types of charges making the walk-in stores more reasonable after all.   

3.   Better Late Than Never - Try to Begin Shopping Today:  Make a list and truly check it twice before your shopping trip.  Write down colors, sizes, manufacture names and even the names of stores who might carry the item you are shopping for along with a couple of replacement gifts should your first priority not work out.  Avoid last minute shopping and trying to quick and haphazard decisions that you nor neither the individual will appreciate. 

4.   Shopping Guilt Free: Go into a store with a specific gift in mind and stay on track.  If the store doesn't have what you want, don't waste your time trying to replace it.  Move on to the next item without feeling guilty.  After you return home, take a little time to rethink what you might want to replace the unfound gift with and go out again another day.  This provides you with an opportunity to reevaluate the situation and maybe call and reserve a specific item at another store before you brave the weather, traffic and other shoppers.

5.   Add a Tag or Initials to the Wrapped Gifts: Cut down on spending by using the same wrapping paper for many of the gifts, especially if they are leaving your house.  Don't forget to tie or stick on tags with an extra piece of Scotch tape and/or turn the package over and jot down the initials of the person to whom the gift is for in the right hand corner.  This ensures it goes to the right person during the hustle and bustle of delivering the gift and the tag comes off.   

6.  Always File Your Receipts in a Safe Place:  You never know if the gift is going to do or measure up to what you think it supposed to; so keep those receipts filed in a special place just in case.  Eight-five percent of gifts are returned or exchanged.  That's a high number, but isn't too terribly complicated if you have the receipt. Make up a folder and clearly write 2003 Holiday Reciepts on the outside. 

7.  Keep a Running List of Names for Greeting Card Recipients: Make a list of each person you'd like to send out a card to.  Get the kids to help address envelopes and even to put on stamps.  Depending on how many cards you are sending out, it might be best to do this in steps so the kids will view it as Holiday joy and fun instead of work and dumb.   8.    Meal Planer: Always plan your dinner way ahead of time.  Go to the store with ingredients written on a list for each dish.   

9.    Utilize An Organizer: It's not too late!  There's only a few days left but if you would take a few minutes to organize every couple of days now YOU WILL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER especially if you do a little delegation to other family members and don't put so many stressful things on any one day.  

10.  Take a little time for yourself.  It should and must be done even if it's only a 30-minute lunch with a long lost friend; sitting down with a brief short book; watching a loved but often missed TV show, taking a walk, or even making a visit to a local nursing home.    

copyright 2003, by Jodie Lynn Jodie Lynn is an international syndicated family columnist who writes the Parent to Parent column.  Her latest book is Mommy-CEO, revised edition.  She and her family live in St. Louis, MO.  To learn more about the author, or to buy Mommy-CEO items that tell the world who the real CEOs are, see ParentToParent.com for details.      

If you have a family, parenting or personal question, send Jodie an email through her website at ParentToParent.com on the Inquiry Form.  All questions will be answered in an upcoming column.