Featured Image courtesy of Stephanie Collins

The holidays are a magical time replete with gifts, Christmas cookies, and gatherings with friends and loved ones. But as anyone knows, family members can quickly wear out their welcome, and holiday calories can soon have you eyeing a diet for your New Year's resolution.

Don’t become a Grinch this season. Read through our survival guide and make it through the holidays in one piece.

Keep your sense of humor intact and look for the positive in situations. If the whole family is wearing ugly Christmas sweaters to get in a festive spirit, be a good sport and put one on.

Approach things with a realistic point of view. Remember, you’re not actually Santa and can’t magically make things happen or appear. If your dinner table doesn’t look like it has been pulled straight out of a magazine, its okay. Perfection is overrated.

Establish some boundaries. In order to have a pleasant holiday, don’t air your grievances. No one needs to know all your personal business nor do you need to know everyone else’s issues.

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Practice some teamwork with your husband and your kids. It’s easy to get swept up into the idea of if you want something done right, do it yourself.  Relinquish control by dividing up holiday tasks.

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Don’t over-schedule, but don’t under-schedule either. You don’t want to be that frazzled parent trying to make it to every single event your family is invited to attend. At the same time, you done want to be sitting at home with everyone bored out of their minds staring at each other. Choose your schedule wisely.

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Be flexible. More often than not, things don’t go as planned and that’s okay. Just let it roll off your back and keep marching forward. If you have to cancel plans, make the best of it and have a fun night in of Christmas movies and hot cocoa.

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A little organization goes a long way. Calendars and lists are your friends. They keep you on track and prevent you from forgetting things. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of making eggnog and seeing that you’re lacking an ingredient.

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You want to make Christmas memories that will last. The spirit of the season isn’t about presents and material things. It’s about being with the folks you love and spreading a little goodwill to others. Always keep that in mind.

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Want to whip out a new dish during the holidays? Now is not the time to go outside the box and experiment. You should have done that before the holidays. Ending up with a recipe fail and having nothing to bring to a gathering will suck. Trust us. Stick with what you know and what you’ve tested out on your husband and kids.

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Save some time for yourself. It’s always nice to take a moment and relax with a good book, your favorite movie, a little yoga. So, when things get hectic this holiday season, don’t forget about taking care of you. Remember, a happy mom = a happy family!

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Nikita Palmer (@RTNowRadio) for Cumulus Media © 2012