Here it comes, right on cue! It’s November already, and the Christmas commercials have started appearing on television, stores are all decked with holly, and your kids are probably already begging for new “stuff” under the Christmas tree.

For many of us, the holiday season is a time that is anticipated with both joy and anxiety. Sure, we love the celebrations, the family traditions, and we cherish the memories of holidays gone by; but along with them, we add the stresses of preparation, expectations and the fear of letdowns, or family squabbles that we have experienced in the past. In a real sense, many of us are looking straight into the face of the holi-daze, not the holidays. With this in mind, here are 10 tips that can help restore some sanity to your family, and hopefully make for an enjoyable, meaningful holiday season. Click here to continue reading the rest of this article.

Comparison is like a moving airport sidewalk you wander onto… it whisks you 50 yards away to a bad place before you’ve even taken a step. And it always seems to be right there—just one tiny thought or scroll away—ready to dump you into a state of discontentment. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” And if that’s true, comparison equally steals contentment, too. 

Contentment, simply speaking, is choosing to be happy with what you’ve got. It’s learning to live in a state of gratitude even for the small things. Because more often than not, it’s the small things that fill our days with meaning.

Spending just a few seconds each day thinking about the things you’re grateful for can radically shift your mindset. If you’re having trouble finding something to be grateful for, we have a list for you (and a free, printable family challenge at the end of this list!) All 50 things may not apply to your current circumstances, but there’s probably more to be grateful for than you might think. Click here to continue reading the rest of this article.