It's hard to avoid the impending holiday arrival and all that goes into planning, visiting, packing, travelling, decorating, cooking.....the list seems fairly endless. 

 I give you my 5 best ways to de-stress over the upcoming holidays and wish you and your family a very healthy, happy RELAXED holiday however you spend it! 

1. UBER - to the mall, the grocery store, the family's house, the movie theatre, the parties, wherever you need to be. Parking at the mall this time of year is frustrating, and the walk with all those shopping bags to your vehicle is painful. You also don't want to be THAT person, that will wait for hours, hold up traffic and annoy every other shopper in order to get that spot right near the front entrance doors. Save the aggravation, grab an UBER and have a drink at the closest food court licenced restaurant because hey! you're not driving! 

2.Take a Walk - Make a walk through the neighbourhood part of your holiday tradition. It gives you a break from the family dinner table antics, you work off some of the holiday eating, and it's pretty seeing all the lights and decorations on your route. We've added this to our own traditions. 

3. Say NO - Work parties, friend parties, potlucks, charity events, five different family households, three different cities. By the time you spread yourself to every event during the holidays, you end up exhausted and more than likely sick. Sometimes you just have to say no. I've been sick and hosted a dinner at the same time. It's awful, you don't enjoy the event and you pray for six hours that your bed is going to welcome your tired sick burnt out holiday self. 

4. Binge watch holiday movies - Netflix, Amazon Prime, the Android box, are all overflowing with hallmark holiday movies. Take one day, one entire pajama worn day, and sit your fine self and your family on the couch, glass of eggnog in hand, leftover apps, and binge watch the classics. The weather outside might even be frightful, and sitting on your keester for 6 hours after days of entertaining is fabulous. 

5. Streamline the decor, the wrapping and the meal. At a time where social media is ripe with all the "look what I did with the Elf" and "here's my 18 course spread for my family of 5" photos, you don't have to keep up with the "Pinterests" to make a memorable holiday. Put your tree up, decorate the mantel, put up a spotlight outside. Done.  Arrange for potluck instead of DIY, or order in! Better yet, go out! There are several restaurants in Waterloo Region that host a dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Wrapping? historically we often gift bagged our gifts, and the gift bags we receive we recycle by re-bagging gifts the following year. 

Take these suggestions from a parent who ran herself ragged, was sick over the holidays, and travelled Southwestern Ontario to visit family around closed roadways in the middle of snowstorms. The family who truly cares, will understand, and real friends don't judge and are happy to provide in the effort. The holidays are about the people you care for, not the trimmings. You can make do with what you have and where you are. Happy Holidays. 

Dori Mueller, Davenport Realty Brokerage Waterloo