FOR RELEASE:
DECEMBER 2004
TITLE: HOLIDAY STRESS BUSTERS FOR BIG AND LITTLE PEOPLE
Stillwater—The holiday season is upon us. It is a time for
family get togethers, decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, baking, and
attending special activities. Holidays are supposed to be a time of enjoyment
and happiness, but instead families may feel stressed because of the extra
demands placed upon already busy schedules.
Relieving
some of the stress during the holidays can best be accomplished by getting the
whole family involved in tackling holiday tasks and activities. The following
ideas can help you and your family work together to reduce holiday stress.
▪
Sit down as a family and
come up with a list of all the things that need to be done during the holidays
(shopping, card signing, cleaning, etc.) Delegate or let family members
volunteer to help.
▪
Make up a December
calendar. Include dates and times of all activities to be attended, and a
schedule of when tasks such as cleaning, baking, and shopping need to be done.
▪
Take a look at your
familyÕs holiday activities. Are there things that you do each year but really
do not enjoy? If so, consider, not doing the activity any longer or doing it in
a different way.
▪
Plan easy meals. Double
batch your favorite casseroles and put in the freezer for a quick meal on a
busy day.
▪
Keep eating and sleep
routines as close to normal as possible to prevent children from becoming
cranky or overtired.
▪
Expect young children to
misbehave occasionally. Remember they have short attention spans and tire
easily.
▪
Make time for family
fun! Plan fun activities together such as baking cookies, trimming the tree,
caroling, or taking a drive to see the local light displays.
Prepared by:
Debbie
Richardson
Assistant
Specialist Child Development