It’s that time of the year where despite the joy, tension is inevitably high. Lines get longer, department stores get more crowded and patience can wear thin. Lucky for us the holidays are still a few weeks in the distance which gives ample time to plan for your stress and beat it out!

Take your holiday shopping one PERSON at a time
Instead of going to a million different stores in one day in an effort to knock out all of your holiday shopping, take it on a case by case basis. Make a list of everyone you want (or HAVE) to buy a gift for and a corresponding store where you would find the most appropriate gift. That way Monday can be for “Susan and Daniel” shopping instead of the whole family!

Shop on-line
One of the best ways to avoid clawing another person’s eyes out the register is to avoid it all together! With frequent sales, free shipping and coupon codes, on-line shopping has become more of a breeze than ever. This is especially good if you are buying electronics or non-clothing items. Plus on-line shopping markets like Amazon and Ebay are sure to give you the best prices around.

Holiday party got you down?

Say you decided to plan a holiday party, but your RSVP’s are thin. Unless you’ve invited everyone in town, pick up the phone and check-in with people! There is nothing wrong with touching base with possible party-goers two-weeks before the shin-dig. This way you will have a definite answer and don’t have to over plan for food and drinks.

So both of your kids are in college and neither of them are coming home for Christmas this year. Unless you really want to, it’s okay to let up on some of your previous traditions. Don’t worry, those decorations in the garage aren’t going anywhere. Think about getting out of town for the holiday or doing decoration-light this year. Only do what is going to bring you the most amount of joy.

If you walk every day for 30 minutes, go to the gym, don’t eat meat, etc… whatever your healthy routine may be, STICK TO IT! There is no reason to suddenly stop the routine you have carved out for yourself just because it’s the holidays. Getting back on track after New Year’s is only going to be that much harder.

Danae Matthews writes for the on-line womens health resource, Women’s Health Base.