It never fails. Every year you tell yourself that you’re not going to wait until the last minute to get ready for the holidays. Then the next season rolls around

and you’re back under the gun. We’re only a few weeks out before the holiday season officially begins, but you still have time to get things in order. Make a

list of what you need for Thanksgiving and Christmas to run smoothly. One to-do list should include items. Another to-do list, a budget. Another should be your tentative guest list

to different functions. Then divvy up the duties, working from big items down to the smaller ones. If you do a few things at a time, and you and your

partner are working together to get them done, you won’t feel so overwhelmed come the week of.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make no assumptions. Keeping that point in mind, something that this time of the year can help you and yours to do is become better communicators. Don’t

assume he’s going to pick up the turkey. Don’t let him assume you called his mom. At least once a week, touch base to see that everyone is on the

same page with holiday-season tasks!

There can be a huge temptation to want to impress others during this time. But really, what kind of sense does it make to blow your budget, only to be overwhelmed

with debt come January?! If you’ve never put yourself on a holiday budget before, there’s no time like the present. Click here for some tips to get you started.

Speaking of tips, a big one is to not rely on credit cards. Use cash as much as possible.

Hopefully, in your family, the spirit of the holiday is what’s most important. As you’re thinking about all of the peace, love and goodwill that you’d like to share with

others, don’t forget to extend some to the closest person to you. It can be a winter picnic, going ice skating or even walking out at sunset to make some

snow angels together, make time for just the two of you. Two mugs of hot cocoa near a fireplace is the ultimate aphrodisiac. A "cheap thrill" in the best way

possible.

Something else that’s common is to have pushy relatives telling you how to cook, decorate and everything else in between. This is another reason why communication is essential. You don’t

want to look up to discover that your mother-in-law is staying with you for two weeks when you thought it was only going to be four days. You and your

sweetie need to decide what the holiday ground rules are and then mutually commit to supporting each other keeping them.

Even with all of these tips in tow, there still might be some surprises along the way---and by that, we don’t mean presents from Santa. If there do end up

being moments of stress or frustration, try and make the best of them by not sweating the small stuff. As with all seasons in life, the holiday season will come

and go. Don’t let the usual pressures rob you of one of the things to be the most grateful for---the special relationship you have with you and yours all year

long.