4 Christmas Hacks

Looking for ways to make the holiday season a little less stressful? I don't blame you. After all, it's supposed to be the most wonderful time of year, yet many of us find ourselves running for the bottle of Excedrin as soon as the holidays hit.

Well, put your pill bottle away and get ready to make the holidays a bit easier this year with these four easy Christmas hacks.

1. It's Not REALLY His Birthday Anyway

Got a bit of rebel inside of you? Then take a stand and celebrate Christmas at the beginning of January (or December 28th or 29th) instead of on Christmas day .

Why?

Because you'll be able to buy all of your Christmas presents at a discount since stores will be trying to get rid of leftover inventory.

Celebrating Christmas after the actual holiday also ensures that everyone you invite to your Christmas party will likely be able to come since they won't have other Christmas invitations for the same day.

2. Run Away From The Pack

Repeat after me... "I do NOT need a PS3 just because everyone else wants one. It is okay and it will not kill me if I don't get a PS3 until February, March, April or even next July."

When you see the Stepford shoppers standing in endless lines waiting for a PS3, resist the temptation to join them. Yes, it'd be fun to have one. No, you don't NEED one.

Spending hour after hour trying to track down the needle in the haystack during one of the most stressful times of the year is not time well spent (and spending thousands of dollars for a $600 game system on eBay is just ridiculous). Do yourself a favor. Forego the PS3 until things settle down.

3. Shop Online

Want to get your all of your Christmas shopping done in less than a day without getting out of your pajamas?

Thanks to the Internet, you can.

You'll find that amazing deals are available online, which means you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to take advantage of them.

Do yourself a favor. Instead of waking up early in the morning to fight the crowds and the cold, make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and plop yourself down in front of the computer. Browse the online stores and rack up the deals from home. It will make your Christmas shopping much, much easier.

4. Take Pride In Who You Are (and Who You Aren't)

If you are one of the women who feels badly when the little miss Martha Stewart of the party brings the hostess a beautiful array of hand-decorated Christmas cookies, or if you're one of the men who gets a bit embarrassed because his Christmas decorations don't compete with the decorations of the other guys on the block, stop being embarrassed about who you are.

So what if you can't create a six-foot-tall Christmas tree cake? Give the hostess of the party a box of bakery cookies with a ribbon on top. Just because your lights don't shine as bright as the next guy's doesn't mean you don't have holiday spirit. Put your decorations up on time and take em down on time and that's all that really matters.

Shouldn't we all outgrow the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality? Especially during Christmas?

This year keep the true spirit of Christmas in mind. While everyone else is running around like mad trying to make their Christmas the epitome of perfection, use these Christmas hacks and enjoy your holiday season the way you're supposed to -- with the true spirit of Christmas in your heart.