‘Tis the season to be many things.

Jolly and merry come to mind. As do grateful and joyful.

But so do stressed, guilt-ridden, depressed, cold, broke, exhausted, beleaguered, frenetic, and late. And that’s just on the home front! Variations on these themes reign at work as well.

OK, so how do you ensure the happy adjectives prevail? Spoiler alert: These are going to sound awfully familiar!

Clarify your top priorities! You must be clear about your top priorities. This includes making decisions about what you won’tdo. Drop the guilt. Be realistic. Wishful thinking will make you miserable; it won’t make you Superman.

Challenge your assumptions! You do not have to have 43 people to dinner and cook everything from scratch all by yourself just because you always do.

Be creative! If entertaining 43 people is a top priority, give yourself permission to plow a shorter path to success. Skip the meal and go on a hay ride or let others bring the food.

Take care of yourself! Even Superman knows he must avoid Kryptonite to stay strong. Reserve time to sleep, eat, and exercise.

Breathe and smile! This is particularly important when standing in line or traffic. It will make you feel better, as well as those around you. Choose anger and frustration and you will only feel more miserable.