Is this the season of joy or stress? Once November hits, the pressure begins: We all get bombarded with messages about the shrinking number of shopping days left, questions about who’s hosting dinner this year, and early debates about where to spend New Year’s.

The constant pressure can turn a time of family, connection, peace, and love into a season centered on anxiety and crankiness. Sometimes, what’s needed is a pause. Take a moment to remember what’s important right now, and you can find the joy—the purpose—in the season again. You’ll gain back some calm.

The same tactic can help you get through another stress bomb looming large right now—the year-end close. As coworkers mark their days off and December 31 keeps getting closer, accountants start losing sleep. Who has time to think about holidays when you are awake all hours of the night with visions of audit schedules, board meetings and management reports dancing in your head?

To be sure, not planning early for year-end is a losing strategy. Figuring out how to approach it with some expert help will set you up for a smoother process (we do mean smoother—something always does seem to go awry even with the best plans in place).

We won’t be able to reduce your shopping load or your guest list (could you disinvite the auntie who enjoys the eggnog a bit too much this year?), but we can definitely ease the stress levels and the workload.

Like good little elves, we have our version of Santa’s listto get you through the year-end close. We’ve checked it twice, and we’ve included a sackful of toys, er, tools, to get your team as ready as possible.

So, to make this year-end close as stress-free as possible, take a moment to consider how it can go much better than the last time. Start with our year-end close resource page,and reach out if you’d like to learn how our elves can help you.

We wish you a happy holiday season!