So much to do! So many people to see!! How will I get it all together before the holidays again this year? Don't forget to send out the holiday cards!

Every year, so many of us feel the stress of the aproaching holidays. No sooner have we put away the Thanksgiving turkey that we turn and find the presents we need to wrap for Christmas. The holidays start a few weeks of stress and constant motion for many, and a feeling of being overwhelmed, depression and even loneliness for others.

We can't stop the world from turning, but perhaps the articles below will help you better cope with the holidays.

General Holiday Coping

• Holiday Traditions
  Understanding the importance of family traditions around the holidays.

• Simplifying the Holidays
  You won't be able to follow through with whatever good intentions you have for simplifying and de-stressing unless you get to the bottom of why you sabotage yourself time and again.

• It's All In How You Look At It: Transforming Holiday Angst into Gratitude
  Ready or not, like it or not, we're surrounded by holiday hoopla every year. It's no wonder that we all feel stretched.

• Talking Turkey: Managing Unhappy Relatives at Holiday Time
  How do you deal with your most difficult relatives during the holidays?

• Don't Stress Holiday Travel
  Quick tips to get you traveling safely and with less stress than last year.

• Finding Meaning in the Holidays and Christmas
  Take a few moments to reflect upon the meaning of the holidays for you and your life.

Alone for the Holidays

• 10 Things to Do If You're Alone for the Holidays
  10 quick tips to help you deal with being alone this holiday season.

• Coping with Being Alone for the Holidays
  More practical tips on things you can do to help keep you in the holiday spirit this year.

• Alone During the Holidays? Join the Crowd
  Keep the holidays in perspective.

• The Ghosts of Holidays Past
  A story of what the holidays mean to us.

Depression, SAD and Drinking

• Celebrating Safely with Alcohol
  8 tips on how to safely celebrate the holidays.

• Nine Ways to Beat the Bah Humbugs
  Feeling like the holidays got you down? Relax and prioritize and you'll be surprised how it all can come together.

• Holiday Drinking: Keep It Safe
  5 strategies for keeping it safe during the holidays.

• Beating the Holiday Blues
  You can beat the holiday blues today!

• Not in the Holiday Mood? It Might Be the Blues
  Why can't you get into the holiday mood? It might be depression or something else.

• Wrung-Out by Ringing-In the Holidays: Dealing with Post-Holiday Blues
  The crazy holiday season is over... Now what?

• Enjoying the Winter Holiday Season
  Although you may feel down this holiday season, there are things you can do today to help make yourself feel better.

• Shedding Light on Winter Depression
  What is "winter depression," or seasonal affective disorder?

• Seasonal Affective Disorder
  Psych Central's Seasonal Affective Disorder resource center.

Children and Family

• Special Occasions and Special Needs Kids
  Here come the holidays. For many parents with special needs kids, here comes more stress.

• Holiday Travel with Young Kids
  Learn the secret to traveling with kids -- travel in the "kid zone."

• Making the Most of a Holiday Apart from Your Kids
  Can't be with your children this holiday season? You can get through it with a few simple tips.

• Preparing Kids for Holiday Visits
  You love to travel with your children, don't you? Make it less stressful for them and for you.

• Managing Children's Expectations: A Key To Happy Holidays
  It's up to you to manage your kid's expectations for the holiday season, leaving no one disappointed.

• Seasonal Stepfamily Stress: Tips to Help All Your Family Members Enjoy the Holidays
  You've got a lot to deal with two families, but you can make it work more smoothly.

• Holiday Baking: A Recipe for Family Fun or Frustration?
  Baking can be fun for kids if you keep some of these simply tips in mind.

Gifts, Cards and Presents

• Rx for Mental Health: Send Holiday Cards!
  It's easy to get cynical about holiday cards. There certainly is a lot of pressure to send them for all the wrong reasons.

• Getting to the Heart of Holiday Gifting
  It's not about material presents, it's about gifts from the heart.

• The Christmas Limit
  Setting limits helps everyone have a more enjoyable holiday.

• Toys for the Holidays: Buying Gifts for Other People's Children
  What do we buy for other people's children?

Stress

• More Coping with Holiday Stress Tips
  More tips on how to deal with the inevitable holiday stress.

• The Turkey Trail: Which Home for the Holidays?
  So many families, so little time!

• Holiday Stress: A Resourceful Survivor's Guide
  Survive the holiday season with grace and less stress than last year!

New Year's

• 10 Things You Can do Differently Today
  Instead of offering you 10 things you can do to help keep your resolutions, we're going to share with you 10 things you can do differently today that will help change your life.

• New Year's Resolutions: Role-Modeling the How of Making Change
  It's not just about resolutions, but about committing to change.

• Seven Steps to Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions
  7 ways to try and keep the resolutions you made.

• 10 Sure Ways to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions
  You've read everyone else's top 10 tips to keep your New Year's resolutions, now read ours!

Last reviewed:
  On 19 Dec 2007
  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.