The TV and radio are full of jolly tunes and beautiful ads where everything is perfect and everyone is smiling. Families together enjoying their meal, happy faces opening their presents…but is it always like that?
Or is it more like the Christmas movie ‘Jingle All the Way’, where Arnold Schwarzenegger forgets to buy the present for his son that his wife had asked him to get weeks earlier?
It is usually still us – the Mums – going frantically from place to place to find the trendy toy everyone wants or the silly gift for the office party, as well as gifts for children’s teachers, the in-laws, and our own relatives.
We have to buy the ingredients to create the perfect meal, make time for Christmas parties (school, office, neighbours, friends, family, etc etc) and probably find yourself saying “next year I will be better prepared”.
But another year comes, and you are still on the treadmill, exhausted because this time of year puts so much pressure on you when all you really want to do is have a glass of wine and go to sleep and not wake up when the alarm demands your attention the next morning.
The day comes, you have a million things to do all over again, and you really don’t know where to start.
Maybe the time has come to put the brakes on the craziness and stop the madness. You don’t have to go to every party you are invited to. Skip one or two (or all of them if you really don’t want to go). You have a choice, and your health is more important.
You don’t have to do all the cooking by yourself, let your family help where they can…peeling potatoes, chopping veg, setting the table. You need to find a way to enjoy yourself too, without being tied up in the kitchen all day. Simplify things, and prepare in advance as much as you can.
Your children don’t have to have everything they want: they will be happy with one or two, and will appreciate much more spending the time with you, doing something different rather than a cold and manic exchange of gifts.
Make the day special.
Do something different, make something new that they will remember forever. Do something funny, silly, out of the ordinary, and I can assure you they will keep talking about it every Christmas.
You don’t want them to remember that you were stressed and overwhelmed, collapsing exhausted after hours of work to create a perfect Christmas that you can’t even enjoy.
Let’s make the end of this year incredible…one that you remember forever as the one where you were in control and were able to really enjoy yourself. The one where simple things made all the difference and you didn’t forget anything. The one that for the first time you are able to start a New Year with all your goals and resolutions in place, making life simpler than ever and without any overwhelm.
For a great Christmas and the best Year Ever – Happy Celebrations everyone!!!
