All too often we look forward to the holidays only to become overwhelmed and stressed out. We ultimately lose our joy. Here are a few things you can do to stay in the spirit of the season and enjoy it to its fullest.

1. Ask yourself and your immediate family how you would most enjoy celebrating the holidays. Answering that question will help you figure out what is most important. Often when we stop to ask we discover that what we thought was important to others really isn’t.

It will also help you determine whether you might be stressing yourself with false guilt, “should do’s” and fears of disappointing others.

2. Begin looking at your schedule. Do you really have the time to do all the things you’ve planned… and still maintain your sanity? Start by penciling in events on your calendar to help yourself manage your time effectively. Include everything, things like decorating, cooking, shopping and wrapping gifts.

3. Be willing to compromise. Maybe you have your heart set on decorating your house like Clark Griswald in “Christmas Vacation,” but time is of the essence. Instead consider something simpler or eliminate something else.

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4. Avoid perfectionist tendencies. For example: you want 12 ounce disposable cups for your party. But, when you get to the store you can only find 8 ounce cups. Consider the time, energy and frustration you’ll expend traveling to other stores, sitting in holiday traffic, just to find those 12 ouncers! Go with the 8s.

5. Finally, to turn holiday hassles into happiness you can do some very practical things: set a budget and stick to it, pay in cash and avoid the New Years credit card blues and choose recipes you can prepare ahead of time.

However, if you really want to make holiday memories this year focus on relationships rather than activities.

Consider giving the gifts of kindness and service. And keep your mind on the Reason for the Season…celebrate family and being together!