Have you started thinking about Christmas? I have, please don’t judge me – I know it’s early. I used to stress out a lot about Christmas and it would start around this time when shops would start to put out their Christmas stock. So, I thought it was the perfect time to talk about Christmas and how to have a less stressful Christmas. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year (or it should be!).
When I was younger, I remember loving Christmas and waiting for this season all year but as I grew older, the joy of Christmas started to disappear and, instead of feeling jolly, I felt overwhelmed – Christmas decorations (which also involved a big Christmas clean), presents, cards, family dinners… everything was becoming stressful. This was when I decided to take a step back and figure out how to make Christmas less stressful.
Christmas did get better with little ones. They truly make the festive season much more special, just their excitement made the whole Christmas experience more enjoyable but I still needed a plan and wanted to make sure that the holiday stress wouldn’t sneak up on me. So, it was time to make some changes. Today, I’m going to share some ways to reduce Christmas-related stress, so you can enjoy this fabulous season the right way.
Nothing wrong with a little helping hand. It’s okay to ask for help. Heck, it’s more than okay. You want to make your Christmas the most fantastic Christmas ever and, guess what? You deserve it. So, put your feet up and let someone else take the role of decorating your home for Christmas. Elements Home & Garden have a team of professional Christmas decorators who have decorated home entrances, home interiors and even commercial spaces to be as festive as possible.
Putting up Christmas decorations might be fun for your family and it’s one of your favourite things to do during the holidays but you may simply not have the time to decorate your home as you’d like or perhaps you want to treat yourself and surprise your family with some extravagant and over the top Christmas decorations – Elements Home & Garden will help! Plus, their bookings for Christmas 2021 are open, so book their team ahead of time!
Fun fact: Elements decorates a lot of celebs homes, including Amanda Holden, Jacqueline Jossa, Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright, and many more! Decorate your home like a celebrity this Christmas with the help of their team.
Planning, planning and more planning
I’ve become a planner. Christmas won’t happen unless things are somewhat organised. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic. However, organisation and planning are key to a stress-free Christmas. This means, setting up a budget for all things Christmas related – gifts, decorations, food, stocking fillers, Christmas cards, you name it.
I’ve also started thinking about gifts way earlier in the year. I’ll make a list of adults and children who I want to gift presents to and, every time I go shopping, I have that list on me, just in case I find something that I think they would love (and can usually find these at a good price!). Then, I’ll cross the person’s name from my list and store the gifts in a plastic box in my garage or attic. No more shopping for gifts during December’s Christmas chaos.
To keep track of everyone I want to send a Christmas card to, I’ve created a Christmas card book with the name and address of the recipients. As I’m sure you are aware, sometimes it’s difficult to remember everyone and there’s no need to feel guilty ever again for not sending a Christmas card to your mum’s cousin’s sister. However, if you have forgotten someone, it’s not the end of the world. As this article says on Expert Home Tips, “If you’ve left it too late this year, don’t worry. An email, heartfelt text or phone call will mean just as much to them.”
It is also important to create a rough schedule of when you want to have certain things ready. For instance, write down that you want to have all your Christmas presents bought by the end of October and work towards that goal. Maybe you have family all across the globe, set a date to have all Christmas cards done so they have time to reach both your national and international family members.
By having a plan and doing less during the busy month of December, you’ll also be able to enjoy it more. As George Pratt, PhD, a psychologist at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in California, told Health, “We go overboard to please others during the holidays: shopping, cooking, sending cards, and attending every event. Instead, take care of yourself by saying no at least once – and maybe more.”
Focus on what you can control
You won’t be able to plan and organise every single minute of your holidays. Things are bound to change, unexpected guests are most likely going to visit last minute and your Turkey might come out of the oven too dry… so it’s important to focus on things that you can control and remember there is always a plan B. Take a deep breath and, if something unexpected happened, there is always a solution.
Make the most out of downtime
Spending time with the family is important but having some me-time is also important. As this article on Verywell Mind mentions, maintaining “a healthy balance between bonding and alone time” is essential. Make the most out of the time you do have with your family but remember that it is okay to step away and enjoy yourself.
Do you have any tips on how to make Christmas less stressful?
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Clare
Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.
