There’s no denying that the holidays are a tricky time of year for people. Whether you’re dealing with traveling through packed airports, stuck in traffic, or you have the opposite challenge, and you’re hosting your entire family, it’s a lot of work. Santa Claus might have the hardest job of the season, but coping with the stress of making a holiday great is no picnic. Dealing with holiday stress this year? You’re not alone.

Here are some of the common things people say make them feel grinchy – and how to recover from them now that the holidays are done.

“There Was Too Much To Do…”

Everyone is busy this time of year, almost without exception. The shopping, the cooking, the entertaining, the traveling- no one spends more than five minutes sitting down for almost a month.

Now that Christmas is over, take a few days to recover, and also think about what you did over the holidays. Make a list of things you prepared for well, and things you need to be more proactive about next year. Did you wait too long to shop? Were you still wrapping presents Christmas morning? Whatever had you pulling your hair out this year, make a note of it, so next year you don’t make the same mistakes.

“My Family Is a Handful…”

Family is a tricky, tricky thing to deal with. While you might love most of your family, all of your family, or none of your family, chances are you have to spend time with most of them at some point during the holidays. It might be unavoidable, but here’s what you can do.

1. Set some ground rules- Particularly if you’re hosting the holidays, you can set some rules to keep everything civil. Put a ban on political discussions or other touchy subjects. Set the expectation that guests in your house are to be civil and polite. And if you have that one relative that always causes major problems, sit them down and tell them that they have to respect your boundaries, or explain to them that their past behavior has forced you to revoke their invitation.

2. Give yourself permission to RSVP “No”- If you are invited to a family function and you know you will spend the entire night wishing you were anywhere else, give yourself permission to say no. If your conscience won’t allow you to ditch the event completely, then show up for an hour and leave if you’re uncomfortable. If your family doesn’t take your comfort seriously, then you don’t have to show up.

“I Can’t Afford Christmas…”

The holidays put a financial strain on everyone, but if your financial situation is particularly tough, there are a few things you can do. Try DIY or homemade gifts this year. Head to discount stores like T.J.Maxx or Marshalls. Sign up for deals online at sites like Retailmenot.com. Suggest a Yankee Swap. Or, if there’s really nothing you can do this year, a heartfelt letter, note, or conversation with a loved one about your situation can take the pressure off of you.

However you decide to keep yourself sane during the holidays, take a minute to evaluate how everything went this year and see how you can re-adjust for next year.

It is supposed to be The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, after all.