Holiday Survival Guide

The holidays are upon us and with so much shopping, wrapping, planning, baking, traveling, cleaning and whatever else it is you do to get ready for them...it can be just plain exhausting. There are lots of issues that can crop up around the holidays with behavior and kids can even feel your stress.

Below is an assortment of articles that can help with some of those holiday concerns...to take you into 2010 a little more well-rested and ready to face the new year. It's a virtual platter of holiday cheer for your eyes. Feast on these:

Five tips to help kids manage holiday stress - Kids can get stressed just like adults. They even feel your stress. Here are some tips to help your kids (and yourself) cope with holiday stress.

Getting rid of the 'gimmies' - Materialism, conspicuous consumptions and greed. What do kids really need to be happy. The research tells us, and here we break it down into an easily digestible read.

Snow day activities for kids! - The kids are jumping for joy. It's a snow day! Now, what to do with them all day? Here are some great ideas!

'Presence' for the holidays - Your child called. He said he wants more "presence" from you for the holidays. Here, we show you how to give a gift your child will ALWAYS remember

Snowballs (cookies) for everyone! - No matter what climate your child lives in, she can still have snowballs! Melt in your mouth, not in your hand variety!

Oh, and let us know what you think. Do you have any other ideas to simplify the holidays? We'd love to hear about it! Just comment below.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!