The holiday season can be a stressful time! With so many presents to buy, meals to prepare, and guests to host, it’s easy to get burnt out during this time of year.

All of the pressure from all sides to create the perfect day can leave you feel like you are rushing around like a crazy elf trying to run Santa’s entire workshop by yourself. 

However, the holiday season doesn’t have to leave you exhausted and stressed out. Here are some tips for staying sane and relaxed during the holidays:

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

The trick to taking the pressure off yourself is to stop expecting every little detail of the season to be perfect. The important thing about Christmas Day is that your family is together and having a great time, and not how many different festive salads that you have prepared or how beautiful your tree looks.

Don’t worry about making your Christmas celebration look like a photograph in a Home Design and Cuisine magazine, and focus more on enjoying the moment instead.

Take Time for Yourself

Sometimes during the holiday season we are so busy running around shopping for others that we forget to care for ourselves. Make sure that you take a moment out of your schedule to take a walk, read a good book, or do an activity that you enjoy.

Ask For Help

Don’t overwhelm yourself by assuming that you can do everything! There’s nothing wrong with asking for a little bit of help!

If you are hanging the Christmas lights outside the house, why risk pulling a muscle when you could ask your teenage kids to give you a hand? If you are baking cookies, invite your young children, nieces or nephews to help you stir the dough.

If you just can’t figure out how you will cook the entire festive meal, your guests won’t mind if you ask them to bring a few dishes to the table, potluck style.

Remember, the holidays are a time for special moments spent together with the people that you love. Take the pressure off and don’t stress yourself out too much!