Using Lists to Lower Your Holiday Stress

Make a list of all the people you want to make or buy gifts for. If you're buying clothes, note the size as well as the person's favorite styles and colors. For each person on the list, document their hobbies, favorite colors and foods. More often than not great gift ideas will come to you while working on your list.

Set a budget for each gift. When deciding on gifts for people (such as your children) that receive several gifts, decide on a total dollar amount for each one before you start selecting gifts. It's easier to leave an item off the list that's going to break the budget than to cross it off later.

I like to make gifts, but making gifts requires advanced planning. December 15th is not the time to decide to make an afghan for your mother-in-law. I'm giving three afghans for Christmas gifts this year, but I started them back in July. I have two done, but the third may become a February birthday gift.

Don't be afraid to modify and adjust your list. Situations change. Stressing out over it will not help.

Don't forget to add a couple of hostess gifts to the list. It will save that last minute dash to the store when an unexpected invitation arrives.

Will the Christmas Feast be held at your house or your sisters? How many people will be gathering around the table? Will you be hosting a Christmas party as well? Are you attending any potluck parties?

When it comes to planning your holiday cooking, lists are vital. If you plan your holiday menus early, grocery shopping will be less of a hassle. It's also easier to determine what can be made ahead and what requires last minute preparations.

My husband and I make homemade Peanut Butter Balls every Christmas. We give gift bags full of the sweet treats to neighbors and friends.

We make a lot of Peanut Butter Balls.

Fortunately they can be made in advance and we start producing batches of them right after Thanksgiving. The hard part is keeping my kids out of them.

The grocery store is a madhouse on Christmas Eve and I'll do just about anything to avoid standing in line. I like to have the menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas day figured out by Thanksgiving. Rather than spend Christmas Eve shopping, I can use the time to make my favorite Christmas Cookies.

Yes, you guessed it. It's time to make another list. If you're like me, you have more Christmas decorations than you know what to do with. My list is simple. I put up what's most important to my family first. The Christmas tree is vital, but it's not first on the list. Several years ago my husband and I made and painted an outdoor Nativity Scene. Lit with spotlights it's a true traffic stopper. We try to get it up and in place by the first weekend in December. Once the Nativity Scene is up, we can turn our attention to decorating the house, inside and out.

Some years we have more decorations up than others. The most important are at the top of the list. If I run out of time, the decorations at the bottom of the list never come out of the box.

There's no rule that says you have to put up everything you have.

A priority list helps, but really makes a difference is organizing your decorations before packing them away. My ornaments and lights for the tree are packed in numbered boxes. Box number one holds the lights and the extension cords I need. Boxes three, four, and five are filled with the ornaments. My nativity set is packed in another LABELED box.

When my husband removes the outdoor lights at the end of the season, he labels them. That way when he goes to put them up the following year he knows where each sting of lights goes. It saves time. He'll string the lights once, but if he has to start over...

Lists are a wonderful organizational tool, but there are other things that can be done to lower your holiday stress level.

Budgets: For most people, money is an issue. The holiday season can be expensive. I want to enjoy the holidays but not at the expense of our budget. Decide how much you are willing and able to spend on gifts, entertainment, and decorating and then STICK TO IT! It's not always easy, but when January rolls around you'll be glad you did.

Consider Shopping Online:Going from store to store looking for a specific item aggravates the devil out of me. I try to get most of my shopping done early and a lot of it is done online. I can't tell you how many times I've ended up picking up something I wasn't totally happy with just to get the chore done. Online I can take my time and am less likely to buy on impulse.

When I'm overly busy, the first thing that suffers is my exercise routine. I know better. Exercise is a natural stress reducer. Giving up my Daily Walks may give me an extra twenty to thirty minutes each day, but it will make it harder to keep the stress at bay. When you feel the stress creeping in, go for a walk or throw your exercise DVD into the player and sweat it out.

A bubble bath with Soothing Bath Salts is another great way to wind down. When I'm overly stressed I like to take a good book and a glass of wine, and sink into a tub full of bubbles.

If your budget allows, get a pedicure or manicure. Spend some time shopping for yourself. Buy that sweater that would go so well with your wool slacks. If money is tight, indulge yourself at home. Pick up a book at the library and curl up in front of the fire. The point is, take the time to relax. The more you pamper yourself, the easier it is to pamper everyone else.

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