Every New Year, I see sick parents walking through my office doors. Why? Because you wore yourself out during the holidays, you didn’t get enough sleep, and stress took over—all of this lowers your immune system, making you more susceptible to cold and flu.

I don’t want this to happen to you this year! Especially as Covid is still circulating. This Christmas, parents, promise me you will keep your stress in check. Don’t succumb to the holiday hustle. Instead, focus on simplicity, the meaning of the season, and prepare for stressful situations ahead of time.

1. Keep gifts simple.

The reason most of us stress over the holidays is because we feel pressure to please our kids. The truth is, they are pretty easy to please if we downplay gifts. That’s hard to do in a country where most of us are planning on spending about $1,000 on gifts, food, and other holiday expenses this year, but when we constantly talk about getting them something exciting, perfect, and extravagant, we set them–and ourselves–up for disappointment.

The truth is, after a week, the gift that we worked so hard to get them will become ordinary and boring for them. So don’t…