By Anne Davis

Christmas is right around the corner bringing with it all the joys and frustrations of this festive holiday season.  Make this year different and start preparations now so you can experience more of the joy and less of the frustrations.

Embrace your inner child!  Watch old favourite Christmas shows or read Christmas stories out loud.  Take an evening walk around the neighbourhood and enjoy the Christmas light displays.  Play games.  Go tobogganing and build a snowman.  Remember how much fun Christmas was when you still believed in Santa?

Get your shopping done as early as you can and avoid the long line-ups.  If you can, take a day off during the week. Better yet, make a date to shop with one or more friends. Go for a festive lunch and make the shopping experience a truly enjoyable one.

Decide how much you want to spend and STICK TO IT! Don’t be tempted to overspend. Remember, Christmas is not about how much you spend, it’s about spending time together. Make up your list and include a price range for each item.   If you think you’ll overspend, leave all your credit and bank cards at home and take only cash with you. You really don’t need to spend January worrying about paying off all those bills!

Don’t succumb to the temptation of eating EVERYTHING!  Pick and choose what you indulge in, save yourself for the things you rarely get to eat such as really expensive chocolates or made-from-scratch goodies.  As for all the other bounty laid out before you, take only small portions and stop yourself from getting seconds and thirds. You’ll thank yourself later!

If you are far away from family and friends, consider helping out at a soup kitchen or volunteering for some other holiday event. Aside from the joy and warmth you’ll feel from helping others to have a happier Christmas season, you might find you’ve created a new holiday tradition all your own!

If you do spend Christmas with family, remember that you can’t change your relatives.  Smile more, walk away when arguments begin, stay calm and say very little.  If you or your significant other are the target of direct insults, deal with the situation simply – tell your relatives that you are visiting because you enjoy their company but if they continue to make insulting personal remarks, you will find something else to do.  If things escalate, go for a walk, to the movies or to a coffee bar and get away from the stress of the situation.  If it’s really bad, make plans to leave earlier than expected. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourselves, you deserve to be treated with respect.  Just don’t forget to treat them with respect also.

So this holiday season, minimize the stressful elements and maximize the fun! Make your holiday season a happy one and have the time of your life.

Happy Holidays!

Anne Davis is a writer, blogger, artist and photography buff.  Born in Quebec, she now lives in Kimberley, where she is editor of and contributor to the City of Kimberley’s Active Community Guide and webmaster for the city’s websites.

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