The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year or at least that’s what the song says. But as any angel-wing-making, pageant-attending, cookie-swap-baking parent knows, it can also be the most stressful time of year.

In fact, Ellen tweeted this just last week:

With seven busy kids between us, we certainly feel like the holidays can be more fraught than festive, and we are not alone.

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Click here to see more of the resources and research Responsibility.org has to offer.

It’s enough to make a girl want to stuff those stockings where the sun doesn’t shine . . . so what to do? The number one piece of advice is to prioritize what is important, but the mere thought of making a list at this time of year could bring out your inner Ebenezer Scrooge. Before you say, “Bah, Humbug!”, check out the one we made for you.

Top Ten Ways to Banish Holiday Stress

1. Drape your philodendron with tinfoil and call it a day.

2. In fact, instead of decorating your house, hand out sunglasses with red and green lenses as people walk through your door.

3. Box up the sugar snap peas you forgot to serve at Thanksgiving instead of baking cookies.

4. Smear store-bought frosting on shoe boxes instead of making gingerbread houses.

5. Give gifts in the shopping bags they came in.

6. Better yet, print out certificates announcing you “bought” everyone stars for Christmas. No need to go through that process of really purchasing them. Who would know?

7. Burn your Elf on the Shelf! Saves the stress of THAT daily grind and saves on chopping fire wood.

8. Skip the lines at the mall. Photoshop your kid on Santa’s lap and send her an email from Saint Nick.

9. Pizza for Christmas dinner!

10. Unfriend all your “friends” on Facebook. You do not need that brand of humblebrag in your life.

So you get the picture: ’tis the season to lighten up if you want to make it to the new year with your sanity. But what’s a girl really to do?

Sitting down to make a plan really is worth the time it takes. Start with deciding what will make your holidays joyful and jettison the rest. Streamline where you can, learn how to say “no,” and be prepared. This could mean creating a binder for holiday recipes, generating a Christmas card list with pre-printed labels, or even settling for the store-bought cookies. If your goal is a happy, healthy, sane Momma this season, it’s worth slowing down for a few minutes to see what you can scoot off of your brimming plate.

Another way to relieve stress is to plan ahead to avoid making important decisions in the middle of your time to unwind with family and friends. Let fun be fun! For starters, you can think about how to get home safely from all of those super fun holiday parties. According to research by Responsibility.org, 60% of Americans report that alcohol is a part of their family traditions around the holidays, while only 47% plan ahead for transportation when hosting or attending parties. A shocking 32% say they rarely or never plan ahead for transportation. So while you’re slowing down to plan, sip some cocoa, sing along with Bing, and come up with a designated driver plan. Your family will thank you for keeping yourself and everybody else on the road safe.

Tips for Managing Holiday Stress--Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms
And while we are talking about what’s going to keep you happy and healthy this season, don’t forget to focus on the fun things you enjoy about the season. If frosting the perfect sugar cookie is what makes you merry, that is what you keep. If sharpening your skates for an afternoon worthy of a Hans Christian Anderson story fills your heart with joy, remind yourself to make the time to do it. Focusing on what you really love is an easy way to keep you feeling festive instead of fried.

Don’t forget to fire up your sense of humor too. That’s what our tongue-in-cheek list was for. A little laughter can go a long way in preserving your feelings of goodwill to all. Gifts may be threatening a hostile take-over of your bedroom, your hand may be cramping from writing Christmas cards, and the be-decking of your halls might be transforming into something other than a Hallmark movie, but a light heart can help you see the fa-la-la in the midst of the potential fiasco.

But seriously, if you feel the need to give that darn Elf the boot this year, we won’t tell anyone. In fact, we’ll cheer you on. Think of it as our gift to you.