Holiday Stress

by Jill Rheaume
(Kansas, USA)

The holidays are quickly approaching and I have been lucky enough to learn some very valuable lessons along the way that have helped me deal with many stressful holidays.

And I thought I'd share my two favorite tips with you:

A Helping Hand

During High School, I worked in a department store after school. During one Christmas season, a much older and wiser co-worker shared with me his Holiday Tradition.

He told me that each year, he and his family would go to the local Homeless Shelter or Soup Kitchen and volunteer their time to serve meals to the less fortunate in our community.

They still had their own family dinner and events, but he explained to me how helping others before or after their own meal, helped each member of the family appreciate their fortune during the holidays.

This helped them all deal with the stress of the holidays better, and allowed them to put their differences aside and simply enjoy each others' company.

Giving a Real Gift

Another co-worker of mine, once shared with me how she dealt with a niece who never seemed to be happy with her gifts. She always wanted more... or bigger... or better.

So one year, in place of a gift, she donated money to charity in her niece's name. She gave her niece a card from the charity notifying her that a donation had been made in her name, and described how this donation might help this particular charity.

My co-worker said that her niece, for once, didn't complain. She suspected that maybe she realized how foolish it would be to gripe about such a gift... even if it wasn't what she wanted. So whether she was happy or not, the niece was old enough to know that this was not a gift to complain about.

So this holiday season, when facing stress or contemplating how to handle difficult situations or people, consider helping someone else in need.

You never know, it could turn into the most fulfilling holiday season you've ever had.