Geplaatst:22 dec 2006 13:15 - Gewijzigd: 22 dec 2006 13:15

Avoid Christmas stress by getting organized

DALLAS - This is the season for anxiety attacks as to-do lists grow longer and days grow shorter. But families can reduce holiday stress by following a few simple organizing tips, author Marcia Ramsland says.

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„The holidays are as much a matter of organization as they are a matter of the heart”, said Ramsland, who wrote ”Simplify Your Time: Get Organized and Stay that Way”. „If you do anything in life more than once, organize it and simplify it. That’s especially true at the holidays.”

By organizing, Christians can direct their attention to the meaning behind the holiday and to creating memories with their families rather than wasting time and energy on less-important matters, she said.

Ramsland, who lives in San Diego, California (USA), said roughly 75 percent of holiday stress comes from three areas: buying and giving gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating.

One way to reduce anxiety involves keeping a holiday notebook -a loose-leaf binder with dividers- from one year to the next as a handy reference.

For many people, Christmastime stress centers on buying and giving presents, especially when it comes to overspending and trying to figure out who needs what.

Once required activities are done, families have time to develop their own traditions. Ramsland suggested something as simple as asking everyone at the Christmas dinner table to mention something that happened in the last year for which they are thankful.

Her best advice? Families can reduce stress considerably by not holding themselves up to an impossible standard, she added. „Check your attitude. Make sure you’re not expecting too much - that you’re not aiming for perfection. It doesn’t have to match what your mother did.” (Associated Baptist Press)