The secret to a happy holiday: Ditch the inner control freak

I mentioned to my husband last night that I had written a post about shutting off one's inner control freak, and he just smiled and said, "Let me know when you've figured that one out."

I'll admit, it's a constant struggle for me to let go of my control-freaky tendencies, especially around the holidays, when I'm dealing with blended family issues as well as all of the other holiday hoopla. But I can manage to do it from time to time. And it does make the holidays so much easier. Here's how I do it, in a nutshell:

1.) Respect other people’s turf.

2.) Pick your battles.

3.) Understand that perfection is a myth.

4.) Accept help. Really.

5.) Ask yourself: What are you really trying to control? What’s more important, that things get done exactly your way, or that things get done, period?

Want the non-nutshell version? It's up at The 36-Hour Day. While you're there (or here!), let me know: How do you handle the holidays?