Although Christmas is a cheerful and festive holiday, it can be aligned with stress and anxiety. Between buying gifts and traveling, the Christmas season can be challenging to get through.

Preparation for these festivities is key for an enjoyable holiday. Here is a guide to an easy going and amazing Christmas.

The holidays is the best time of year to spend precious moments with friends and family. To take a little stress off one’s shoulders, a good idea is to make a list and plan your Christmas meal in advance. Preparing a list and getting all the appetizers, food, drinks, and desserts early can decrease Christmas stress.

Not knowing what to buy someone can be frustrating, but utilizing the benefits of technology can alleviate stress. Finding great sales in certain stores and online can help save lots of money. Popular gifts this year include the Apple watch, UGGS, Levis, Yankee Candle and Ray Bans. If you are looking for a gift for Dad, Lowe’s has a wide variety of tools.

Walmart and Target usually provide good deals and sales for the holiday season. From TV’s and furniture to clothes and food, sales like this only come around this time of year.

Nothing makes Christmas better than a beautiful display of magnificent lights. Adding to the festivities of the neighborhood is essential for celebrating holidays. Putting snowflakes up brings the entire piece together.  Having a real Christmas tree adds a nostalgic scent of pine and nature. Putting on ornaments is a great tradition that can unify everyone’s family on Christmas.

Christmas is not complete without a full glass of eggnog, non-alcoholic of course. Nothing goes with eggnog like a nice ham or turkey. Just as it is on Thanksgiving, it is socially acceptable to stuff your face. Cranberry sauce is also a popular side dish on Christmas, truly complimenting the bread rolls and potatoes.

There are tons of fun and festive activities to do with your family this time of year. Visiting the world famous Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center is an activity that many people from all over the world do each year. Ice skating is also another activity that is popular this season. There are plenty of rinks to visit locally and skating with a group of friends will create memories for a lifetime. Additionally, there are thousands of Christmas movies that are very enjoyable, whether you go for the classics or the endlessly rotating cheese on the Hallmark channel.

Hopefully this list will make your holiday season fun and stress free. Happy holidays!