30/11/2021

Reduce the Christmas stress with these hacks

Christmas has much to offer; joy, fun, family time, traditions, gifts, food and special entertainment in the form of Christmas songs, shows, Nativity and of course visits to Santa.

There’s a lot going on and it all takes organising or it has the potential to become an annual stress point. To make sure you organise Christmas instead of Christmas reducing you to a ball of stress, here are our top tips:

On the nice list!

He’s making a list and checking it twice! If it works for someone who’s got the world’s children to remember, a list has got to be a solution.

Lists give order and breakdown large tasks into smaller ones. It may sound list obsessive but a main list with each item having its own mini-list is a great tool to break down the enormity of some tasks.

The best feature of lists is crossing items out when you have completed them. Am I the only one who adds things to a list that I have already done, just for the joy of crossing it off?! The other added bonus of making lists, which leads to the second point…

Share the love

Delegate your way to calm. Use lists to a) show how much needs to be done and b) to share some tasks out. Even the youngest members of the family can assist.

Simple task like keeping rooms tidy, stripping beds, taking care of pets or preparing for the school return (cleaning shoes etc.) will mean you can focus on what only you can do.

It's subjective

The perfect Christmas – who decides what perfect looks like? A Hollywood film Director? Advertising Executives? Or your own family?

Ask children what they liked most about Christmases past and they may say gifts and sweets initially but they might also say not being at school, going to the park, seeing friends and family, playing with new toys.

Their memories are likely to be hazy on what the gifts were or what they actually ate, so try not to focus on those aspects. Something to unwrap and having a bit more sugar than you may usually allow (and at random times of the day i.e. before dinner!) are likely to be the winning formula, so just keep it simple.

Whatever your Christmas traditions, the most important thing for kids is having relaxed adults around them who have time to play with the new toys with them will settle in their memories and become the important parts.

Step out

Fresh air. Exercise has many known advantages and a simple walk (or new bike ride!) to a park will offer both physical and mental benefits.

Spending some time away from the festive chaos inside will give everyone a break. Also, there’s nothing like being outside in the cold and then coming back into a warm home to feel especially cosy on Christmas day.

Keep it in the family

Family time. If you see days getting booked up with visitors and visiting, book in a ‘guest-free day’ on your calendar.

This’ll give everyone the chance to refuel, stay in PJs until whenever o’clock and give children a chance to play with their new toys. Otherwise, the Christmas week can become more hectic than usual term time and the January return will hit hard.

The host with the most

Hosting. If you’re hosting and you know there are likely to be personality clashes or differences in views and opinions, agree some no-go zones ahead of time.

By sending this message out ahead of time, you are less likely to offend anyone and focus on the positives of seeing each other. If you have young children, explain you wish to create peace and harmony for them and disagreeing adults unsettles them.

Take five

You-time. Try to make time for ‘you-time’. If you usually exercise, take the time to do it.

If you relax in a hot bath, run a hot bubbly one and soak. Or if watching cheesy films and partaking in a seasonal beverage offers a relaxing moment, do it.

We hope these help and offer some ideas to guide you through the event called Christmas. It is magical, just remember to control it and not allow it to control you.

Merry Christmas everyone!