How to sail through holidays and start the New Year smiling

This whole Santa thing may just be a scam. What if he delivers presents so he has the perfect excuse not to shop, cook, prepare and mingle during the holidays? What a perfect way to get off the hook, "I can't. I'm Santa and I must deliver the presents!"

Since you're reading this, I can assume that you are not Santa. That means that you will have to engage in some, if not all, of the holiday rituals. Hey, there are plenty of fun and joyful activities this time of year. But I'm just going to assume that you can cope with the smiles and the hugs. It's some of the other stuff that can be hard. So here is a short list of tips to help you get through all that.

1. Let's deal with the money issue. Set a budget and resolve not to go over it. Even a great holiday can be diminished if you are stuck with large bills come January. And when it comes to shopping, do as much as you can over the internet. You will definitely save time and frequently save money. To be on the safe side, stick with well known and established companies. Look, two major stressors (money and time) have been lessened and you are only on paragraph three!

2. It's an old admonition but a true one. Be yourself. If you experienced a loss or are just feeling blue this holiday, don't give in to the urge to pretend. It's OK to experience whatever it is you are feeling. If someone offers the old "Cheer up" or "Smile" you can thank them for their suggestion and say "This is how I feel right now and I am OK with that."

   An exception might be if you are upset with someone. Sometimes it is better to wait until you have some time alone with that person, so you can sort out your differences privately. You can just practice discrete avoidance and you need not act overly friendly when you do interact.

3. Even though time is short, try to maintain a healthy amount of sleep and some exercise. It's likely that there will be many tempting foods around and while it is OK to partake, be careful to enjoy in moderation. One technique is to eat some fruits or vegetables before Aunt Janine brings out her seven varieties of mouth watering cheese cakes.

4. Don't over commit. If you do too much, you will be too tired to enjoy what you are doing and you will likely experience some resentments. It is OK to turn down an invitation. It might be that the person that you turn down is overextended themselves! Either way, it is no real favor to arrive for a visit stressed, tired and slightly resentful.

5. Say goodbye to Norman Rockwell. Perfect holiday get-togethers are portrayed in the movies of old but rarely, if ever, occur in real life. There will be mess. People will have the same disagreements during the holidays that they had before the holidays. Someone will spill something, someone will offend.

Finally, no holiday article would be complete without a recipe for cheesecake. Use these ingredients:

• Bring your real face, not a mask


• Leave when you are tired.


• Say no when you need to.


• Avoid the offensive.


• Stay in your budget.