What parts of the holidays don’t you enjoy? The shopping, the baking, the cleaning? It may be time to delegate these task that you don’t like. Can you shop online? Can you limit the gift giving to one gift each? Can you limit the amount you spend on each person? Can you decide to just do gift certificates this year or better still, just give money?

Can you get someone in to do your holiday cleaning or can you delegate cleaning tasks to members of your family? With this one you have to be able to accept the job that is done by others. If you are going to complain or redo the job they do, you’ve defeated the whole purpose and probably caused yourself more stress. This is where you decide to accept the help that is available and then let it go. So the house isn’t dusted perfectly or the bathroom mirror has streaks on it, at least you didn’t have to do it.

Can you delegate the baking to someone else this year? Can you cut back on the amount you bake? I’ve noticed in the last several years that my family and friends have given up eating a lot of the sweets and treats and I am left with lots of leftovers that I don’t want to eat either. Let the kids do the baking this year. Do the cookies really have to look perfect? If they do, can you just order a cookie tray from the local bakery? Really love the baking? Start early and put it in the freezer.

Now the tough part, decide what you can dump from your holidays. Do you really need to get out every decoration? Do you have to have lights outside? Can you cut your baking in half? With the issues with the mail this year, do you really need to send Christmas cards this year? What can you give up or delegate in order to enjoy yourself? You have to decide for yourself. Where is your comfort zone.

Decide to be happy and enjoy the holidays. You can’t make everyone happy, only yourself. Do all the holiday activities because you want to, not because you feel you have to.

Decide what it is that you love to do in order to prepare for and participate in the festivities.

Delegate the tasks you don’t enjoy and then don’t complain about how they get done.

Dump anything that doesn’t really make a difference in the scheme of things. Just because you’ve always made cookies, doesn’t mean you have to continue to do so.

Start new traditions. Gift certificates, family cleaning day, ordering cookies, having everyone bring a dish to holiday gatherings instead of preparing everything yourself?

Changing just one thing this year can make a difference in your enjoyment of the holidays.