Something a bit different this time, but I hope helpful nonetheless. Christmas and stress shouldn't go together in the same sentence, but I know this time of year can be a source of overwhelm and stress, especially for parents.
I'm not going to go too far down a rabbit-hole on the meaning of Christmas, but we can probably commonly agree something along the lines of sharing happiness and thinking of others. We have certain traditions that have grown over the years - decorating trees, parties, sending cards, and sharing gifts for example, some of which have perhaps grown in scale and expectations!
This year I’ve noticed a few more posts than usual on social media asking about Christmas spending, how people are managing, how many gifts are ‘right’ for children these days etc. which is saddening but also an indication of our current economic climate. Add on the romanticised notion of the ‘perfect’ Christmas, with a lovely home-cooked dinner (washed up afterwards by magic fairies?!) and our Christmas reality can feel needlessly stressful.
As I think is often part of the solution to overwhelming situations, simplicity is key. So here are a few tips that have served me well at Christmas which I hope may be useful to you too!
Stress-free Christmas dinner...
· If you don’t want to do a traditional one and spend a lot of time in the kitchen – don’t! There are no rules on what you must have on Christmas day, or when!
· If you are doing Christmas dinner, I honestly think of it as a Sunday roast with maybe a few extras like ‘pigs in blankets’. Oven is already on so those extras aren't much extra work at all.
· Who doesn’t love a shortcut? Stuffing mix, gravy, accompaniments… they don’t all have to be homemade to contribute to a delicious meal.
· Let people help, it doesn’t have to be a solo job, even if you are the ‘host’.
Stress-free Christmas presents…
· Do you remember exactly what you got for Christmas as a child? Perhaps one or two very much-wanted presents, or was it really more about the excitement of the day, unwrapping something and being allowed to eat chocolate / sweets before 10 am?
· It really isn’t about how much is spent or how many presents there are, so please don’t focus on this being the part that matters.
· Has your present-buying list grown massively over the years? Maybe check in with people if they still want to exchange gifts, or maybe do birthdays only etc. It could make that list more manageable for both of you.
· Time is often just as valuable as our hard-earned money! Homemade gifts are wonderful but if you haven’t had time this year, so be it. I usually make fudge, but this year I haven’t. I know my husband’s great aunt will enjoy the fudge we’ve bought instead and won’t mind in the slightest. Shortcuts are allowed, the thought counts (and it was still delicious!)
· Presence as much as presents!
Stress-free Christmas extras…
· Elf on the shelf? Nope. Not happening!
· Christmas Eve box? Um, what even is this?!
· Christmas trips / outings. Maybe your local Father Christmas grotto booked up in August and you didn’t get a look in. Or the price was prohibitive. Maybe visit local Christmas lights displays instead, or often churches have tree displays decorated by local community groups which you can visit free of charge. We’ve enjoyed both of these this year.
By all means do all or any of these things if you want to, if you find it fun too, but please don’t feel obliged to keep adding extra things on to make Christmas seem even more magical. It’s often the simple things that kids find magical at Christmas (e.g. the box over the present inside!)
Stress-free Christmas period…
· Even if you are full to the brim, try to get out in the fresh air for a bit (once you’ve finished digesting!) – your mind and body will thank you for it!
· Miserable outside? Dig out those board games that we never feel we have time for at any other time of the year! Or make one up and everyone is involved, like charades.
· Relax, enjoy some downtime and switching off. We all need it from time to time. All the ‘to do’ things will still be there once you’ve had a break and are feeling recharged.
Wishing everyone a very merry and hopefully stress-free Christmas and I’ll be back in the new year talking more about how to keep our lives on track with simplicity too!
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