With mince pies in the shops, festive adverts on the TV and high streets all over the country twinkling, it can’t have gone unnoticed that the run up to Christmas has well and truly begun! However the impending celebrations can signal a lot of stress for some of us with thoughts of hours of gift hunting, cooking a show-stopping festive feast and potentially housing all the family, leaving us more bah-humbug than merry Christmas! Take a look at our 12 tips of Christmas and cut the stress of the festive season out this year!
1. Be prepared
Ask yourself ‘what goals do I need to achieve between now and Christmas Day to make my holidays go smoothly?’ Note down in your diary or calendar what needs to be done and by when. By breaking your ‘to do’ list down into chunks things appear much more manageable and less daunting! Make sure you don’t over estimate what you can do by Christmas Eve/Day and delegate jobs to your family to help you out. After all it tis the season to be helpful!
2. Write a list
Tip 1 leads onto my next tip. My favourite, lists! I write lists all the time – hence why I am writing you a list right now! You could write one big list or break these down into sections such as gifts, food, activities etc. I find by writing my thoughts down, my head is much clearer and enables me to achieve a lot more. Try prioritising the points on the list to help you tackle the more difficult or more time consuming ones first!
3. Be generous but spend wisely
I find the most stressful part about planning Christmas is what to give to your friends and family. If you have a big family or large circle of friends it can become very costly indeed and so you might want to think about changing the way you give presents. For example, agreeing to buy for just the children or a Secret Santa is a fun way to ensure everyone receives a gift without blowing the budget.
Another option is to make your own gifts. If you have some spare time homemade gifts are great fun to make and are lovely to receive. You can easily get the children involved as they will love being creative and will be a fantastic opportunity to spend some family time together.
4. Shop Online
If you want to avoid the craziness associated with festive shopping, then consider ordering your gifts online this year. Not only do you avoid the mayhem of busy traffic and crowded shopping centres, but you can do your shopping at any time of day or night! You often have much more choice online too and most retailers offer next day delivery to ensure you receive your purchases in plenty of time.
5. Wrap as you go
Wrapping your gifts as you go means you won’t be spending your Christmas Eve cutting wrapping paper and drowning in bows! This is particularly applies if you have a lot of gifts to wrap – breaking the task into sections makes it a lot more manageable!
6. Write your cards early
Writing Christmas cards can be a chore but it’s absolutely lovely receiving them in return from family, friends and neighbours. Start them as early as possible, writing just a few each day and then setting them aside for posting or delivering as you go.
7. Order your turkey
Most supermarkets allow you to pre-order everything you need for your Christmas dinner. Just follow the easy steps on their websites and order everything from the turkey to the accompaniments, desserts and even centre pieces! Make sure you choose your delivery slot as early as you can to make sure you can have everything delivered or collected at the most convenient time for you.
8. Book to eat out Christmas Day
If cooking (and washing up) is not your thing then let someone else take the strain of planning a meal which will be demolished in an hour! Our AmaZing Venues offer incredible festive feasts across all of our properties that will make your Christmas extra special. With locally sourced ingredients and spectacular surroundings, Stanbrook Abbey, Château Rhianfa and Solent Forts are ideal venues to take the stress away from Christmas allowing you to relax and enjoy the festivities with your nearest and dearest.
9. Make travel arrangements
If you are planning on travelling this year make sure you a prepared by planning your journey to the airport or train station – heavy traffic could scupper your well-laid plans! Don’t get caught up in the festive buzz and forget the basics such as checking your passports are in date, or if you have enough petrol in your car! Don’t forget to pack plenty of entertainment for the children to avoid any festive fallouts!
10. Christmas clean up
Even those willing to live in casual disarray most of the year tend to go a bit over the top with cleaning when entertaining guests at this time of year! A neat and tidy home will always help towards a stress free Christmas, especially if you are preparing for overnight guests and family gatherings. Make sure you have stocked up on your favourite cleaning products a few weeks before you plan your Christmas clean up. Set aside a day for yourself to clean the relevant rooms. Make sure everyone in the household makes an effort to keep things tidy for Christmas and this should help the clean up after everyone has left as well!
11. Make time for yourself
Manage your stress by setting some time aside time for yourself each week. This might be reading a book, listening to your favourite music, attending an exercise class or maybe indulging yourself in a spa treatment to help you look your best for your Christmas party! Time spent revitalising yourself is never time wasted and will enable you to be more productive and dynamic during your busier days!
12. Have fun!
I know it can be a real stress if things don’t go according to plan but just ask yourself ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ It’s a day off work, a roast dinner and time spent with the people who mean the most to you! My best advice to you would be to enjoy the day, soak up the atmosphere, create memories and don’t worry about the little things – it’s your Christmas too!
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