I always have such high hopes for really going all out during the holidays, and somehow they slowly fade amid the chaos. This year, I was hoping to make Christmas extra special, since it will be the first spent in our new home, and yet, I already feel the weight of all the to-do’s pressing in on me.

Part of this stems from the fact that Daredevil’s birthday is December 11th. It’s hard to get into Christmas mode when I’m rushing around planning his birthday party, making cupcakes, and birthday cakes,

and purchasing birthday presents. I promised myself that I’d never skimp on his birthday because of its proximity to Christmas, so I’ m always deter

mined to make the most of it.

Every year I think about how I want to do a Gingerbread House with the boys, and every year, it somehow fails to happen. This year, I decided to go out and buy one of those pre-packaged Gingerbread kits. The boys aren’t going to care if I didn’t make the gingerbread myself. They’ll still have fun decorating it, and it is one way to make me feel less stressed.

What are you doing to lessen your stress this Christmas?