We all put too much pressure on ourselves to have the most perfect Christmas, the best-looking tree, the yummiest homemade mince pies and the most beautifully wrapped presents, but does it really matter?
The answer is simple… NO! By focusing so much on all the little details and how to get them just right, we actually stop ourselves from enjoying Christmas and having a lovely, relaxing time with our families and loved ones.
So what should we do? How do we get the right balance between making it personal and going over the top?
Prioritise
Think about what is important to you and your family and prioritise those things. So, if everyone loves mince pies but no one really ends up eating the Christmas cake make your own mince pies but maybe buy a cake or forget about it altogether.
Delegate
If you have people coming to stay over Christmas, ask them to bring a couple of puddings or something, do not feel like you have to do it all yourself.
Keep it Simple
Do you really need ALL the trimmings? No one needs two types of potatoes, bread sauce, cheese sauce, mint sauce, cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets, three different types of stuffing balls… you will just go POP!
Do Not Watch YouTube Videos on How to Wrap Presents!
Simple wrapping and a name tag will most definitely do!
Relax
Make sure you plan time in your manic itinerary to just do nothing! Sit down as a family, and watch a fun film, play a board game, read books. Make sure you have days where you don’t have visitors so that you can just do what you want. Have a bubble bath in the afternoon and stay in your PJs all day just because you can!
No one wants to dread Christmas or go back to work in January completely exhausted, so why not go back in time and have an old school simple Christmas when no one wore Christmas onesies, and you only had one tree.
Additional Information
Instead of panicking about what to cook and what needs to go in the oven at what time here is an excellent menu and time plan that you might find handy. BBC Good Food Christmas Timeplan
My children have been really enjoying waking up in the morning and trying to find Holly our Christmas Elf (who had been sent by Father Christmas to keep an eye of them). It has given them a focus and kept them busy, which is always handy. Of course, there is the odd occasion where I had forgotten to put her in a new location before I went to bed and I have had to think on my feet in the morning, but it is all good fun! Elf on a Shelf
Or if you feel your children would love the magic of their very own Christmas fairy door check out the super cute one on this website, maybe it could even be the way your Elf get back to father Christmas to report back on behaviour and present wishes?! Magical Little World
