Christmas is a magical time. Even if it’s not a magical time for you…it’s still a magical time. If you’ve got kids, there’s no escaping the festivities really and in short it can get pretty overwhelming.
There’s such a pressure on parents to get it right and sometimes it can all be a bit too much. There are a few things that you can do to make sure you don’t get overwhelmed, a few tweaks that can make Christmas magical again…and way less of a ballache.
Have boundaries
Sounds silly, but if it’s too much stop. That goes for presents, it goes for social plans and it goes for family. Make sure you get what you want from your festive period and don’t just focus on everyone else. It’s important to talk to your partner about this too so you’re on the same page.
Collective boundaries make it a lot easier to make the most of your time together. You don’t want to add more pressure to yourself, that’s for sure!
Don’t get drawn in by social media
Christmas Eve crates, matching pyjamas and goodness knows what else you see on Instagram aren’t real life! I mean, it’s a lovely idea and yea, it looks nice, but don’t feel like you have to keep up.
Piles of presents are no help either. Social media doesn’t portray real life. You need to make sure you do you and you’re not drawn in by the orchestrated perfection that people present. We know the reality is that chaos is just around the corner out of shot…isn’t it?!
Presents
The age-old debate - are the presents from you? Or Santa? Well, a healthy balance is important. Yes, the magic of Santa is one of the only bribes that we can use for months, but actually, it’s a lot of effort on the part of us parents, so why should he get all the credit?! He doesn’t work the long hours to earn the money or take the time organising everything. A good balance is so important so that your kids learn the value of Christmas. Sounds so cringe saying it, but you know what I mean.
Presents are weird as you always think about what you did the year before. Just remember, it’s not a competition, and stay within your budgets. Such a dad thing to say, but fuck paying for presents for the next six months. No thanks.
The perfect Christmas
The concept of the perfect anything does t exist. Take it easy. Don’t pile pressure on by trying to make things precision perfect. No, the good might not be timed within a second of the plan, yes you might have forgotten the cranberry sauce (don’t forget that) and yes, the kids will inevitably play up at some point. Roll with the punches. The perfect Christmas is more about the experience as a whole!
Have some time out
You spend so long building up to the festivities, you’ve got to make sure you give yourself a bit of downtime.
Don’t be afraid to switch your phone off or serve social plans if you’re feeling tired. You don’t need to start 2022 feeling worn out. Take a bit of a break from everything when you can!
In all this, you need to have a good time too! Don’t forget that. You’ve earned a break, it’s been another tough year!
