Christmas can be an emotional flash-point for those who take on the job of trying to keep everybody happy over the festive season. But perhaps a bit of advance mental planning might help reduce the Yuletide stress. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff is a self-help book by Richard Carlson which outlines simple ways to stop the small things from taking over your life. Carlson is a big fan of calm and letting go of problems, and he aims to get his thinking across in a series of essays covering topics such as choosing your battles wisely, learning to live in the present moment, developing your own help rituals and resisting the urge to criticise.

There are also some terribly wholesome essays on humility and filling your life with love so, as with most self-help books, it's probably best to dip in at appropriate points rather than reading them from cover to cover. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff is published by Hodder & Stoughton.