Holidays are for family, friends, and fun. But the reality is, preparing for family, friends, and fun can be stressful. In addition to getting plenty of sleep, exercising, and eating properly involve all of your family members in the preparation process - from the youngest to the oldest. Whether by design or choice, many times, family event planning is left up to one or possibly two persons in the household. However, even the most skilled and organized can experience a plan that goes awry. When this happens, frustration follows.

Here are just a few suggestions to help you minimize the stress, so you can maximize the fun:

• Schedule a family meeting
• Write down all the things you want to do
• Prioritize
• Set your goals
• Develop a plan
• Assign tasks
• Evaluate the progress
• Most importantly, CELEBRATE your accomplishments!

Using this strategy ensures that everyone in the family knows the expectations and actively participants in making sure these expectations are met. In addition, the younger family members will learn valuable life skills such as setting goals, planning, time management, and working as a team.