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Staying Kewl for Yule

You're feeling stressed. You've got cards to write, gifts to buy (and wrap), a house to clean, cookies to burn. I thought I'd write a parody on all this holiday stress - a parody on the Night Before Christmas poem. I thought I'd be clever, cute, funny-strike a chord with y'all. Not a chance. Not only have I been beaten to this punch, I've been pummeled to it. Did you know we now have an Alien Night Before Christmas, Attorney's Night Before Christmas and a Realtor's Night Before? Dalmations now have a Night Before Christmas parody as do those wishing to read an Ebonics, Ross Perot or Redneck version of the poem. Thanks to the web, you've also got your Star Trek: The Next Generation Night and a Babylon Five Christmas. Gothic, Redneck, Yuppy and Technical Night Before Christmases are also your's to be found online. Outdone before I even started. So scratch that idea. I'll just simply suggest that you read on for some great web hints to help reduce holiday stress. Merry, merry everyone!

Dear Virtual Woman:

I'm completely behind in everything this season. I am thinking that this year it might be less stressful (and cheaper) to send electronic cards. Which sites have the best holiday e-greetings?

- Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Dear PE:

Sending a virtual greeting card is as easy as, well, sending an email. Why? Because that's basically what you're doing. The only downside I see is that it's so obvious that it's this easy that, for the recipient, it feels like you've been sent something intangible-- like someone's lovingly sent you a basket of air. Woohoo. But anyway, that's only my jaded perspective. And if you wanna send e-greetings, well, then, you go girl. One of the best free e-greeting sites is Blue Mountain, found at http://www.bluemountain.com/index.html. Their simple pull-down Holiday menu lets you quickly locate both fun and animated greetings as well as more traditional types. They have pretty much every occasion covered and some cards are even available in several foreign languages. E Cards also has a great free selection of holiday e-greetings. Go to http://www.ecards.com/, then click on the Holidays link on the left toolbar to view and send your cards to everyone on your list.

Dear Virtual Woman:

I have a wonderful family and a lot of friends, but every December around holiday time I start to feel depressed. Are there any websites that can help me understand why I'm feeling down and also help me get more into the spirit of things?

- Kathy, Billings, MT

Dear Kathy:

The blues are for real. And honey, songs like "Blue Christmas", "The Christmas Blues" and "A White Christmas Makes Me Blue" don't come from nowhere. You are definitely not alone in singing the blues this season. On a positive note, understanding your feelings and getting help may be just a click away. The Stress Doc's article on Holiday Stress and Depression (http://www.stressdoc.com/holiday.htm) is a great place to get answers to your questions. Although the Stress Doc takes a seemingly light approach to the subject, he really offers some great info on how to identify the problem and subsequently cope with it. Another good site to help you deal with this stressful time of year is Barbara Braham's Tips on Holiday Stress found at http://www.bbraham.com/html/holiday_stress.html.

Dear Virtual Woman:

I'm a single mom with 2 kids, a full-time job and not nearly enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. I need to keep the kids out of my hair while I'm wrapping, decorating and cooking. Any good sites online that I can bookmark that will keep them occupied while I do some last-minute holiday stuff?

- Sandy Kelleher, Omaha, NE

Dear Sandy:

A bit of an aside but you might want to check out Cleveland's WVIZ website at http://www.wviz.org/KidTV/stress.html for an interesting article about how and why kids experience holiday stress, and what to do about it. That being said, your kids are sure be entertained for hours at -where else- the North Pole (http://www.northpole.com/). Some of the activities include stories that they can print out and color, finding hidden stories by clicking on the pictures in Santa's Secret Village, and playing games out of the Elves' Game Chest. Another fun-filled festive site is Claus.com (http://www.claus.com) where the kids can check their "Naughty or Nice" rating, play Elf School games, send an email to Santa, and sing Holiday Karaoke among other things. Ah, to be a kid again!

Happy Surfing!

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