Each year, Christmas arrives on December 25th, and yet, it tends to "sneak" up on some of us as if we had no clue about the actual date of the holiday. In November, I begin to verbally remind myself "Christmas is coming. Christmas is coming." Plus, I implement the following five tips of preparation to help me embrace the holiday instead of dismaying over its arrival.

1. As early as possible (preferably November) make time to clean your home and tuck away your life clutter, because Christmas brings its own bag of extras such as wrapping paper, baking, and maybe even Uncle Abner and Aunt Thelma for a five day stay. In December, none of the regular household duties and errands stop-the dust mites still need corralling, the kiddos still have piano practice and homework. 2. Plan December meals ahead by marking them on a calendar page. Scale back for everyday meals and keep them as simple and inexpensive as possible. If you can, have the ingredients in your pantry and freezer at the beginning of the month. This will save time and money and extra trips to the supermarket and being enticed to spend more. Those Christmas carols are funneled into the stores for a reason, and it's not totally "goodwill toward men." If I hear carols in July, I at least want to mop my floors with Pine-Sol. 3. Display in your home a symbol of why you celebrate Christmas. On her dining table, my mother placed a red Bible opened to Luke chapter 2, as part of the holiday centerpiece, a reminder of why our family cherished the season. Gentle prompts can help us focus on others and not so much on our long to-do lists. 4. As early in December as possible, gather your immediate family and list your holiday traditions, and then take a family poll. Find out which ones are favorites. Do any customs get shoulder shrugs? Consider dropping those and simplifying your December. Is there a stickler among you who has to have Aunt Margaret's plum pudding? If so, enlist their help in hunting down suet and cheesecloth. 5. Relax. Relax. Relax. Don't set your expectations too high. Things will and can go wrong. Holiday trees will topple, souffls will fall. Those happenings don't ruin a holiday-they can make memories or they can cause attitudes to plunge south. Choose to laugh at those minor incidents. Laughter can grant more warmth to the holidays than perfect tinsel and trimmings.

My co-authors and I give several calming down tips in our book A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. Here's a sampling:

In your home, designate a chair for a resting place and dub it "Santa's Chair." Tie a huge red bow on it and announce to your family that whoever needs a rest or just ten minutes of peace, they are to sit in the chair. The rest of the family is to respect this short respite and leave them alone for those 10 minutes. Parents, this can give you a brief rest or your children an oasis of refreshment. It can be a sanity saver.

Another tip we share in the book is called "Silent Night Hour." Families are in need of quiet and silence. You may need to start out with 10 minutes of silence and work up to an hour of quiet time. During this prescribed time, family members are to turn off all electronics and not answer the phone (preferably turn off the ringer/s). They can read, do homework or work on any low-noise project. No silent text messaging either-try to eliminate incoming disturbances and see if this time of silence offers an invitation for peace and calm to descend and settle lives. Even preschoolers like to play this "quiet game."

Cathy Messecar is co-author of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday and author of The Stained Glass Pickup. Visit Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com For other December holiday tips visit http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/ or www.christmas-scrapbook.info