Is everyone getting sufficiently stressed this holiday season?

Yes the holidays are generally a stressful period and add on the problems with the economy and all the other crap going on in the world and your life it can be rough.

The only way to beat the stress is to find time to just do something you enjoy and unplug yourself from life. Don't watch the news. Stay away from people that are complaining to you about their problems. I find skipping work to spend a few hours watching a movie alone helps alot. Same as playing Miniature golf and acting like a kid. You can't stress when you are laughing.

Good Luck

hey, this is the first christmas ive had christmas in my own home for 6 years. and 2 of my 4 children are with me. we have a tree decorated to the hilt, are shopping and doing all those things everyone does at christmas, and guess what, we are thankful we can do it. so whats a little stress.?

'Tis the season to be stressy tra la la la la...etc etc

Yes I think most people are stressed. Maybe you should suggest to your family that you want to have a religious themed xmas and that there are to be no gifts etc and that you are going away for a weekend in a shed with some farm animals and will be sleeping in mangers....lol hope this doesn't offend anyone its a joke

The holidays are coming up, and although many parents look forward to having their children home from school, they also find that after a few days it isn't so easy having the kids underfoot all the time.  The children are all excited about Christmas, they start fighting more often, and when they're not doing that they complain to their parents that they are bored.

The Christmas holidays are one of those odd times that combine a lot of fun with a lot of stress.  It isn't easy having the children right on top of you again, especially when they're all pumped up about the presents they're going to get and can't seem to leave one another alone.  Here are a few ideas for maintaining sanity during these both enjoyable and difficult times.

1.  Help Kids Plan or Structure One Part of Their Day

With school-age kids, help them plan or structure part of each day, then let them figure out what they are going to do to entertain themselves for the rest of that day.  Do not fall into the trap of seeing yourself as the resident entertainment committee!  You might help Emily by allowing her to have a friend over to eat dinner, watch a video and then sleep overnight.  The rest of the day your daughter decides for herself what she'll do.  Or you might take Ryan out to lunch and then to a movie, but the rest of the day he entertains himself.

2.  Be Clear About the Rules From the Start

Make the above rules clear as soon as the holiday starts, so when the kids come up to you and say, "There's nothing to do, " you can reply, "You and I will be going out at 4, but in the meantime I'm sure you can think of something."  Above all, don't keep making suggestion after suggestion after suggestion, only to have your child shoot down each idea as soon as it's out of your mouth.  Making a lot of suggestions to your children for what they can do implies that you are responsible for their keeping busy and feeling entertained.

3.  Plan Lots of One-on-One Fun

Plan lots of activities one on one with your children.  Just you and one child- no spouse or siblings.  Not only does this eliminate the fighting, it offers the opportunity for real closeness and bonding.  Most parents find that it's a lot easier to have fun when it's just you and one child, rather than the whole family together. Kids love having a parent all to themselves, and under these circumstances each child is usually much easier to get along with.

Cheer up my friend.

I just got a bill from the State pointing out that my accountant made a $750 mistake so I have to get the money to them within 5 days.

I was tod today that I have to have some kind of surgery on my left lung. Very painful to say the least.

....... and you are worried about missing football?!?@#

incredibly stressed