The holiday season can be a stressful one, no newsflash there. Add in children and you've got stress overload. But while you can't avoid stress altogether (if you know how, message me!) you can minimize it and hopefully enjoy the season a little more!
*Pick a few simple traditions that are important to you and don't worry about the rest. You will not be any less of a wonderful parent because you didn't trudge through the snow to cut down your own Christmas tree or because (gasp) your child didn't have his picture taken with the mall Santa.
*Pick a few simple traditions that are important to you and don't worry about the rest. You will not be any less of a wonderful parent because you didn't trudge through the snow to cut down your own Christmas tree or because (gasp) your child didn't have his picture taken with the mall Santa.

*Focus on the overall season, not just the one day. We put so much stress on Christmas being perfect, that it's bound to fall short of our expectations. Instead of trying to cram Christmas Day full of 24 hours of untarnished joy, spread it out; then one bad day here and there won't seem like such a catastrophe!
*Save your money. Guess what? Despite what every TV commercial may be telling you, your child doesn't need a mountain of toys under the tree. In fact, too many toys can be overwhelming, especially to the little ones. If you can't (or won't!) cut down on the number of toys you buy, try choosing to purchase just one more-expensive toy and let the rest be less costly. Quantity over quality. House of Burke has also gathered 5 great suggestions for saving money this holiday season.
*Save your money. Guess what? Despite what every TV commercial may be telling you, your child doesn't need a mountain of toys under the tree. In fact, too many toys can be overwhelming, especially to the little ones. If you can't (or won't!) cut down on the number of toys you buy, try choosing to purchase just one more-expensive toy and let the rest be less costly. Quantity over quality. House of Burke has also gathered 5 great suggestions for saving money this holiday season.
Make your goal enjoying the small moments of the holiday, not making it the "best one ever!" I know this minimize-stress thing will be a work in progress for me. What do you do to help minimize stress?