Today's tip (from Self-Guided.com's popular Top Ten Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress) is a reminder to be creative and simple in your approach to celebrating the holidays in a way that makes sense to you and your family.

9. Create a new holiday tradition that builds connections among your family and friends.
Annual holiday traditions can be a source of great comfort, satisfaction, and connection between friends and family. But creating a new holiday tradition can be just as satisfying. Take a fresh look at your various holiday activities. If you discover that one or more of your current holiday traditions is in need of an overhaul, or that you yearn to supplement them, consider creating a new holiday tradition. Keep in mind that the best traditions may be the simplest ones that involve spending quality time together. 

Below is an excerpt from Joel and Michelle Levey’s book Living in Balance that addresses the concept of simpler living.

Simple living has been preached as a wise way of life for thousands of years. Jesus urged his followers to get their priorities straight and advocated the virtues of a simple life. Likewise, the Buddha recommended a middle way that avoided problems caused by overindulgence or by extreme deprivation or asceticism. The Taoist sage Lao Tzu reminds us that "He who knows he has enough is rich." In recent times, Gandhi reminded his followers, "Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplications, but in the deliberate and voluntary reductions of wants. This alone promotes real happiness and contentment."

The ideal of simple living is not new even to American culture. It dates back to the self-reliant lifestyles of the Puritans, the Shakers, and to Henry David Thoreau in his two-room cabin at Walden Pond. In this century, the concept of "voluntary simplicity" was first introduced by Richard Gregg in 1936. A Harvard graduate, Gregg was inspired by his time with Gandhi and defined voluntary simplicity thusly: "Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer conditions. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose."

© 1998 by Joel Levey and Michelle Levey

Stimulate Your Creativity Click on either of the links below to listen to track 25 from Joel Levey's Self-Guided Relaxation CD: Track 3 -- Mental Oasis (3 min 4 sec) Retreat to your own inner environment, a safe place for relaxation and reflection. This track is helpful when you are seeking an answer to a question or a solution to a problem. Listen:  Real Audio   Windows Media

"I have purchased and/or listened to many self-help and relaxation programs in the past few years. This one is superior." – Marcia B., Texas

"I recently purchased your relaxation CD and enjoyed it thoroughly." – James N., North Carolina

• Relieve daily stress
• Feel more relaxed, less anxious
• Rediscover your calm, peaceful center

Click here for details on how to order Self-Guided Relaxation CD online.

Microwavable Natural Heat Packs for Muscle Relaxation and Stress Relief

Use your microwave to heat these soft, flannel-covered HOT SAX -- filled with natural flax seeds -- and apply to your neck and shoulders for instant relief. HOT SAX will comfortably mold to any part of your body to provide soothing warmth for tense muscles and sore joints.

Explore the many uses for this versatile product as a heat pack (or cold pack, too):

• Neck and back pain
• Arthritis
• Insomnia
• Stress reduction
• Bed warmer
• Comfort buddy
• Enhance your relaxation experience

Click here for details on how to order HOT SAX microwavable heat packs online.