Chocolate. Lots and lost of Chocolate. It works well with a sweet wine. :-)

Best coping mechanism? Don't you mean mechanismS?

Just for my mother-in-law alone I'll need to escape. By escape I mean racing-to-the-car-jumping-in-and-peeling-out. I always blame my disappearance on a lack of ice.

For the siblings-in-law, who are both under 16, I just run to my room and turn the music up loud.

If the mother-in-law, siblings-in-law AND my family were ever around in the same room, let alone HOUSE, then I'm sure I'll be outside, liquored up with cheap rum in my left hand, a hammer in my right.

Shopping and sweets - my prozac to deal with the holidays.

A good book, good cookies, and just keep remiding myself it will all soon be over!!!!

Hmmm. I'm seeing a theme here; sweets, Prozac, liquor, and a hammer. And a partridge in a pear tree. . . LOL!
Alesia

1. Constant sstealth shopping - IOW, I know what the people on my gift list like and, if I see something in January or June or whenever, I grab it.
2. eBay, but, again, you have to shop early enough to get it wrapped (and mailed) in time for Christmas. But, as they say, you can find "anything" on eBay.
3. I love to cook, so that part's fun for me.

With the above to help me cope, I can deal with the rest of it.

Chocolate, Bailey's and lots of good books!

Chocolate.

A Calm Kitchen: How is this possible in the holiday season? Prepare as far ahead as possible, kick any extra creatures out of the kitchen, and more chocolate.

Rum helps too, if you're making fruit cake. ;)

Number 1 Tip: If you live near family, make sure the festivities aren't being held at your place. Then you can run home to hide if absolutely necessary.

A good book, some good music (holiday themed if you like) and a hot beverage of your choice. Some days it's coffee, others tea, really bad days hot chocolate, and really really really bad days coffee laced with baileys or other such goodness.

Frankly, the holidays for me are really great. I live 12 hours from the nearest family member, so it is an opportunity (though hectic) to see everyone and visit.

I'd have to say large amounts of chocolate, vodka and a good list - of things that need to be done.

Mediating, a good book and a hiding place. LOL

Several years ago my family made the decision to stop buying and exchanging gifts for all of the adult family members. Now we only buy presents for the children. It's been the smartest thing we ever did...it's festive and fun to buy presents for children. And I adore not trying to figure out what to get for adults (who probably already have whatever they want or need). Really leaves time to enjoy the holidays. At the same time, my sister and I began filling stockings (from Santa) for each adult. We build up a stash of little items that we run across all year round while we're shopping (especially clearance sale trinkets). The adults love their Santa stockings!

I escape and pretend to play with my nieces and nephews. Normally, there is the option of drinking, but since I'm gestating this year, I'm considering spiking everyone else's drinks instead. Of course, one could always bring "special" brownies to a gathering ... bwa ha ha ha ... other than that, I just remind myself it's ONCE a year. This too shall pass ...

I escape and pretend to play with my nieces and nephews. Normally, there is the option of drinking, but since I'm gestating this year, I'm considering spiking everyone else's drinks instead. Of course, one could always bring "special" brownies to a gathering ... bwa ha ha ha ... other than that, I just remind myself it's ONCE a year. This too shall pass ...

The best way for me to cope with the holidays is to take a ten minute break, sit back and put my feet up.

How do I remain sane? Aaahhh--for several years now I have had the lovely excuse that I have to work and therefore cannot possibly shop, prepare, cook, clean, or anything else because "I HAVE TO WORK!!!" Therefore my dh has always done most of these things (he excels at shopping!) and the only thing I have left to do is the wrapping--something I absolutely suck at but no one else can do. This year, however, I think I will be able to get out of that also! My oldest dd LOVES to wrap and I plan on putting her to work and sitting back with a hot toddy and just supervising--I'm REALLY good at supervising! The only thing I cannot get out of is actually driving in the holiday traffic, since my job requires me to go to the mall every day (I drive a city bus)... THAT sucks! By the last four days or so before Christmas it is gridlock on any street within five blocks of that dratted place and you can just forget about any kind of schedule!! So I just sing holiday tunes to myself and repeat grimly under my breath over and over "I LOVE Christmas, I LOVE Christmas, I LOVE Christmas!!!!" as I try to maneuver my 40 foot bus through the lunacy and mayhem that is Christmas shopping at it's worst.... So, to recap my coping solutions for the holidays: 1)Manipulation 2)hot toddies and 3)a wonderful husband! (and not necessarily in that order!) It works for me!

Margaritas! Stroooong ones.

My coping mechanism is to buy myself little gifts as rewards for doing everything that has to be done. They are just small things like books, makeup, chocolate but nice to do in the middle of everything that has to get done.

A good book, wine, holiday music and a cat on my lap lol.

Sex, sleep, books and cookies. Not necessarily in that order. *G*