Advice for surviving the holidays when resistance is useless

As I may have casually alluded to once or twice, I am no stranger to holiday dread. Every year we get all wound up about a couple of special days. We’ve built up a list of demands and expectations that can suck the joy out of an occasion. And honestly, I’m just kind of cantankerous in general.

That said, who couldn’t use a piece of advice or two to smooth their way through the season? There are a lot of potential sources of stress – shopping, travel, family, loneliness, overwork, workplace festivities… and any number of ways to handle them all.

Gifting

• Home-baked goods cost little and make great gifts. People love things that are homemade, and you can cultivate a valuable skill. People seem especially impressed by biscotti. Develop a signature treat or two, to be remembered fondly as someone who cares enough to craft a gift by hand.
• Keep a couple of gift cards (and just plain greeting cards) on hand. You never know, and it’s nice to have something in the wings. Who doesn’t need a couple of lattes? And if they don’t want them, they can easily regift.
• A thank-you note is never a bad idea. If it occurs to you to wonder whether you should send one – you should. E-mail is better than nothing.
• Don’t keep score. This is harder for some people than for others. The only person you’ll hurt by keeping a mental tally of dollars spent is you. It’s bad for the soul, it’s bad for the blood pressure.

At Work

• Yes, you probably have to go to the office party. Arrive a little after the start time (if it’s that kind of party), leave early, and indulge little. Unless you work for Twitter, who apparently have crazy alcohol-fueled orgies of seasonal excess, this is a work event, even if it looks like a cocktail party. Get crazy with your friends – not the people you are going to be asking for a promotion next year. That said, try to relax. A little. If you can’t be trusted to relax a little, make an ironclad plan to leave after an hour. Or have a previous engagement.
• Cookie exchanges are great things! Participate in at least one, and facilitate at least one more. The world needs more of these.
• Less is more when decorating your own human for the holidays. A tasteful holiday brooch, perhaps.

Sarcasm is, of course, welcome.