If all you want for Christmas are dry eyes, try these merry-making methods. Adobe Stock

A meltdown-free holiday? A parent can dream. Yet, actually, you can safeguard your family from tinsel time tantrums with this practical guide to common scenarios. It’s not foolproof — what child care method is? — but it can keep the holly-jolly in your holidays.

Scenario: After a day of shopping and errands, your overstimulated, overtired child has a meltdown in the middle of FAO Schwarz when you say “no” to one more treat.

Try: First and foremost, resist the urge to meet your child’s chaos with your own. So said Anna Levy-Warren, Ph.D., founder of Organizational Tutors in Brooklyn, who instead advised taking a slow breath, lowering your voice and naming what’s happening for your kiddo. Try: “Ther

See Full Page