New Year's holidays are shrouded in a trail of magic, comfort and family warmth. Happy families look at us from postcards, funny hats on their heads, lanterns in their hands, and smiles on their faces. We happily attend corporate parties, children's Christmas parties and imagine how happy we will be all these weekends at home. There is a cloud of plans, expectations and dreams in my head. It’s good if this comes true, but there are always families where joint holidays turn into hell. They wanted the best, but it turned out that they were unaccustomed to being together 24/7. There is no usual way to be distracted, you have to adapt to the preferences and mood of the other. A separate issue for those with small children. The kindergarten is closed, it’s up to the adults to come up with entertainment. And how much food does the housewife need to prepare? All together this leads to conflicts. We quarrel, get irritated, and then suffer from guilt. I have prepared a number of recommendations that will help maintain a positive attitude in the family during the long holidays: Form realistic plans so that there are no high expectations. It's great to want to go skiing, play board games, and clean out your closet, but you shouldn't schedule every day so that it feels like a marathon. Alternate days at home and away. This could be three days at a recreation center or a trip to a neighboring town. A change of environment refreshes the perception of the holidays, adds new impressions and emotions. Arrange “fasting” days in “family-building” events. It is not at all necessary to spend all days exclusively together. It’s completely normal to separate at some point: mom spends the day with her daughter, dad spends the day with his son, then they switched. One evening, everyone can be together, and on the other, the parents can go separately to a restaurant. Prepare food preparations in the freezer so that they can be easily taken out and cooked, and not spend a long time at the stove. And if you want something delicious, organize a family cookie baking! There can be a lot of such recommendations, continue the list in the comments! May the New Year holidays be a joy!