We've survived Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday is here. Are you ready for the hustle and bustle of December?

In our home, we have three birthdays in December so by the time we hit Christmas, it's a bit of a relief. We feel as if we've "made it" and survived a very full season. Throw in youth basketball and we're toast.

No matter what's on your plate in December, you'll want to do one simple thing in order to counter the seasonal stress:

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO SLOW DOWN.

You don't have to max out your credit cards. You don't have to attend every holiday party. You don't have to stress over gifts and malls and Amazon.com. You don't have to do anything really.
Be brave, be bold and enter into Christmas with a clear mind and a peaceful heart.

Those are, after all, two of the greatest blessings of Christmas. A different kind of December is possible but it won't create itself. You'll have to be the one to step up and do something differently in terms of your gift giving, time management and overall approach to Christmas.