There are many techniques for improving your holidays.  If you don’t believe it, just take a look at the advertising circulars in your Sunday newspaper or take a quick television advertising tour.

The perfect toy will make your child happy and will fill you with the joy of Christmas.  A new set of bargain priced indoor-outdoor Christmas lights will make you the envy of the neighborhood and will give you a warm sense of holiday satisfaction.  Christmas, the jewelers tell us, won’t really be complete unless that special woman receives the gift that lasts forever (and takes nearly as long to pay off).  Even the simple notion of purchasing a holiday greeting card is imbued with heightened significance.  Tear jerking commercials remind us just how important it is to buy the name brand cards if we really want to communicate our feelings for loved ones during the holiday season.

It is no wonder holiday stress has reached epidemic proportions.  We receive message after message telling us just how important every single thing we buy and do is with respect to having a good holiday season.  Simultaneously, we are bombarded with reminders that this is the most important time of the year.  Confronted with these messages, we look for a way out.  We look for a way to capture that elusive sense of holiday satisfaction—often with a wad of cash or a credit card.

There’s nothing wrong with spending within your means to have an enjoyable holiday.  It is, after all, a time of giving and a time of celebration and some level of cost is probably inevitable.  No one should begrudge another for buying that holiday diamond or eschewing cut-rate greeting cards.  However, there are ways to increase your enjoyment of the holidays without spending one extra dime.

One great piece of holiday wisdom is the simple reminder to “think about ideas and people instead of things.”  Even the most free-spending Christmas shopper, when asked, will tell you that the holidays are a time to reflect on the messages of the season and to spend time with loved ones.  The spirit of the holidays can be transmitted by proxy in the form of a shiny toy or even shinier ring, but the message is actually more clearly communicated by a simple hug or a quality conversation.

Too often, we use things as our means of expression instead of using ourselves.  By retaining a focus on people and ideas instead of things, we find can begin to really communicate the message of love that underlies everyone’s understanding of the holidays.  A hug, a conversation or a walk around the block with a loved one doesn’t cost a dime and can be the best way to build holiday cheer, pleasant memories, and an appreciation of the holidays.

Another free means by which you can enjoy the holidays more is by making a contribution of time to a cause you support.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with making financial or material contributions to charities.  In fact, those contributions are entirely necessary for most charitable organizations to stay afloat and are also a great way to celebrate the holidays.  However, giving of yourself can really make the holidays matter and add a dimension to your appreciation of the holiday season.

Volunteering one’s time and energy to a charitable cause can increase one’s appreciation of the holidays and allows them to truly embody the spirit of giving that underpins the season.  These simple acts of kindness can be truly transformative—not only for those who benefit from the gift but also for those who are willing to volunteer.

If you want another strand of Christmas lights and they fit into your budget, go ahead.  Feel free to pick up that great toy for your child and the expensive knick-knack for your spouse.  Buy only the best wrapping paper, if you so desire.  If you feel like you can improve your holiday season with a few purchases, you can go ahead and try.

However, you should also remember that there are a few things you can do that won’t cost you a bit that can really increase the quality of your holiday season.  Remember to think about people and ideas—instead of things.  Consider volunteering your time and effort to a worthwhile cause, too.  Simple things like these can improve a holiday more than any gadget or gift.

Christmas is a time of year that brings friends and family together who may not have the pleasure of one another’s company at any other time throughout the year. While family ties may be a bit difficult to maintain in the world in which we live today, the traditions of Christmas for many families is what keeps us grounded and in touch with one another no matter how far apart we are geographically. The problem is that if one person is doing the cooking for all, that person tends to spend endless hours in the kitchen and misses out on the joys of the company of others year after year. One way to avoid this is by rotating locations for the festivities from one year to the next. Another way, a much simpler way, is to delegate items of contribution from all guests in attendence each year so that the cooking and meal preparation duties are shared among the masses.

Of course this isn’t a perfect plan but it is a good plan. Another great plan is to prepare pieces and parts of your Christmas dinner ahead of time. With careful planning there are items that may be prepared as much as a few weeks ahead of the big day and stored either in air tight containers at room temperature or frozen for heating or baking on the big day or within a reasonable time frame of Christmas for best results. Any of the prep work that can be taken care of before the big day is one less thing to be taken care of when the time comes and that becomes a load off your mind.

Make lists. Lists are wonderful things. If you learn to live by your lists you will wonder how on earth you ever got anything done without them. When you are planning your Christmas dinner right down everything you plan to have, who is bringing what, what you are making, and what ingredients will be needed to complete each and every single dish. Go through your pantry and see which items you have in abundance and which items you will need to prepare the meals. Head to the store at least a week ahead of the big day and purchase all but the fresh ingredients you will need in order to prepare your Christmas feast.

Another thing you will need to do is make sure you have a list of all the non food items you will need to stock ahead of time. Make sure all the bathrooms are stocked, that you have plenty of garbage bags, waste baskets, paper plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, and other items that will be needed in order to make things go smoothly when your guests begin to arrive. These are little things that matter and may get overlooked if you fail to plan ahead.

You should also make a list of decorations, invitations, and gifts or games you may need to purchase for the day too. You want your day to go as smoothly as possible and you want everyone to fill wanted, appreciated, and anticipated. It may be a great idea to pick up a couple of generic gifts for a male or female in case someone unexpected shows up (you really never know) and have extra wrapping paper and supplies on hand in case someone has an emergency rewrap (as in a kid opened a gift intended for someone else). Most importantly plan to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy as much of the festivities as possible.

During the Christmas season, summer and its body-conscious state of mind  are distant memories. Hearty indulgence in the many foods shared at Christmas therefore doesn’t produce the same feelings of guilt. Nevertheless, its not a pleasant thought to start the New Year carrying any extra pounds. So why then eat yourself into a resolution to ‘take off a few extra pounds’ if you can smartly avoid it?

Whether it’s sharing cookies and candies at work, or having an evening out  at a party or dinner, you can have Christmas food and enjoy it. While you seem to be eating heartily with a smile, the key is to have a secret strategy of moderation. It involves sticking to a plan that can be called ‘Eating on a Budget.’

‘Eating on a Budget’ is not about the cost of what is eaten, but about the quantity of what is eaten. It is important that a ‘budget’ or eating in moderation plan is developed because it is almost impossible to avoid exposure to a lot of cookies, candies and other sweets at Christmas. At work, you may risk appearing like the Grinch who stole Christmas if your response will always be something like, ‘Uh..no..bah humbug’ all the time that some Christmas goodies are offered. It will seem as if you aren’t in the spirit of the holidays especially since at that time of year everyone is usually in a festive and more relaxed mood, and the pace at work is usually slower.

A practical way to partake in Christmas goodies, for example, is to substitute some holiday cookies for say the bagel that you usually have with breakfast or for a mid-morning snack. And instead of just taking one cookie, from the platter, which is noticeable and likely will encourage a colleague to tell you to have more, take three instead. That’s where the plan can come into play. You can then enjoy the cookies over two or more hours, because nobody will
be watching how you really eat. You can always have a few candies, one cookie or a cookie and a half by your desk and that way it will seem as if you are heartily enjoying the holiday treats.

Another strategy is to bring – bake or buy – low calorie Christmas cookies and candies to work to counteract others that are being offered. Since eating healthy is highly encouraged, health-conscious cookies will not be looked down upon so long as they taste great. A box of sugar-free Christmas chocolate candies for example will look just as delightful as regular chocolate candies.

It’s interesting to note that in a poll sponsored by the National Confectioners Association in 2004, chocolate was the favorite food gift that Americans said they preferred to receive for the holidays. The lowly and much maligned fruit
cake was last on the list. The second favorite holiday food gift was a fruit basket and a plate of cookies was third on the list, according to the Association.

For an occasion such as a Christmas party or a dinner, including Christmas Dinner, where larger quantities and selection of food is available, the ‘Eating on a Budget’ plan means that serving portions and the choice of food selected should be carefully watched.

At a party where more desserts and sweets are likely to be available, a few of the selections can be sampled. If the urge to try everything can’t be resisted, then do so, but then second helpings have to be severely limited. The same is somewhat true for Christmas Dinners. One big difference is that the food served during Christmas Dinner will be heavier, so by selecting portions wisely, one can always say truthfully that the stomach is full.

And indeed, after a sumptuous Holiday Dinner, your body is likely to be full from food and your soul full of joy from sharing another memorable holiday tradition with family, friends and loved ones.