How are you doing? It can be difficult to feel festive if you’re overwhelmed. Juggling work, family events, young children, shopping and present buying, trying to meet expectations is enough to get anyone down. See if any of these tips can help you.
• Christmas Traditions- they can be great, but don’t feel pressure to fulfil them, make some new ones that fit your family, go out for dinner or go to a panto on boxing day, try something different.
• Planning- Shop for what you can on line, arrange delivery to a neighbour if you’re not home and save a trip to the sorting office. If you’ve left things late, prioritise, focus on what really needs to be done and do the other stuff if you have time. Shop for some groceries in advance, drinks, mince pies, pickles, frozen goods, then you will have an easier shop with just the fresh goods to buy before Christmas. Take a list for your Christmas shop, you don’t want to forget anything.
• Help- ACCEPT ALL OFFERS! Give some guidance, rather than just saying ‘I need help’ if you are more specific you will get better results. Let the perfection go, so what if the outside lights don’t look as good as when you do them.
• Finances- don’t stretch yourself and end up in debt all the following year. Make homemade gifts, offer to take a relative for a coffee and spend time with them, offer to babysit, or do their garden. Young children have no concept of money, you can buy pre-loved toys, they just like a big pile of presents to open.
• Children- get dates in the calendar early for nativities and concerts to ensure you are available. Don’t stress over fancy costumes, angels dressed in white with tinsel halo, or shepherds with a stripy tea towel will be fine. A good outdoor walk can help everyone, when we have overindulged, or the children have too much energy. Enjoy the magic of the season with little ones, it doesn’t last forever.
• Family time- have some goodies in the freezer to prepare quick snacks for unexpected visitors. If there’s an event you find difficult, for example a relative’s New Year’s Eve party, you feel obliged to go to, don’t. Skip it and pop in the next day to say hi, you have control over what you do. Remember those who you have lost, everyone will be thinking about them, so raise a glass to them. Don’t overplan, everyone likes some downtime too.
• Spirit of Christmas- remind your children what Christmas is about, donate to a foodbank, do a Christmas shoebox, or take a mince pie to a neighbour.
Remember-
• Sellotape- you never have enough
• Batteries for those gifts that don’t come with any
• Have a couple of spare gifts, chocolates, biscuits or candles, for unexpected visitors
• Make arrangements for pets if you are away
• Make sure your medicine cabinet is stocked
• Cheat where you can- shop bought cake, ready roll pastry, prepared veg- whatever works for you.
• Plan a quiet day after that Christmas Party- be kind to yourself in case you overindulge.
Enjoy it all your way!🎅
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