ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS… IS A STRESS FREE CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year; it’s a time for giving, a time for family and a time for plenty of ‘merriment’, though somewhere through the years it seems to have become one of the most stressful times of the year too. When Christmas comes along, it brings a whole host of somewhat stressful factors that can leave even the most organised within us feeling a little bit chaotic. Here at TBM, we’d like to think we’ve got a bit of a hold on the Christmas stress, so we thought we’d share with you our top tips for a stress-free Christmas, so you too can try and relax and enjoy the festivities and all the mulled-wine that may bring.

Make lists about lists (about lists)

Lists will undoubtedly be your best friend this festive season. Why? Because lists are one of the best ways to keep your thoughts, finances and ‘to-dos’ organised! Keeping a pen and paper handy will mean that wherever you are when you have that ‘lightbulb’ moment for a present idea or remember that you need to buy the chipolatas for you pigs in blankets, you can jot it down for consideration later. Writing your thoughts down also allows you to prioritise tasks to help make sure you’re running on time, and let’s face it, who doesn’t love the feeling of satisfaction as you cross items off a ‘to-do’ list? If you want to take your lists one step further this Christmas – do a Victoria! Victoria has been telling us here at TBM HQ that she has a special folder on her emails for all her present invoices to tick them off as they arrive, as well as a plastic wallet for all her Christmas related receipts… organised or what?!

Plan your time wisely

Use your time carefully! With the Christmas holidays impending, why not look at some local venues to go and visit Father Christmas with the kids, or perhaps schedule a nice family walk on Boxing Day? It is a busy time of year and by sorting your plans in advance it will help you be that little bit more organised. By scheduling different events through the holiday, you will help to break up the madness of the Christmas period and help the kids to burn off some of the excitement that might be driving you a little bit crazy…

Make time for you and that quiet cup of coffee (or G&T, we won’t tell)

There is only so much you can do to prepare for Christmas; only so much food you can fit in the fridge, only so many presents you can buy or friends you can see. In the midst of perhaps the busiest time of the year, it’s important to make sure you keep some time aside every now and then for you to relax and recharge. Try planning an evening where you can have a relaxing bath for an hour, or sneak a quiet Sunday morning walk to allow yourself time away from the stresses of Christmas and to gather your thoughts. Though it is easy to give into the Quality Street tin sat in front of you, try and keep a healthy diet and enjoy things in moderation to help keep yourself feeling spritely. The kids are bound to be ten times more excitable at this time of year as the anticipation of Father Christmas’ visit rises – taking some ‘me-time’ and keeping healthy will help make sure your energy levels can just about match theirs!

Things will go wrong… and that’s okay!

Remember: there are always fish fingers in the freezer. Christmas is about family and friends, it’s the people you spend the time with that make your Christmas special, not your homemade Christmas pudding or your perfectly roasted parsnips. In the long run, it really doesn’t matter if you burn the dinner or forget to put the Yorkshire puddings in the oven – these things happen! If you place too much pressure on yourself, you run the risk of just gliding through the festivities without really enjoying them.

So, that’s TBM’s top tips to help you keep the Christmas stress at bay. There are bound to be things that test you but all that matters at the end of the day, is that you’re with the people you love, doing the things you enjoy (and that there is some wine in the fridge). And don’t forget, you can always get in touch with us here at The Beautiful Method to give you a hand with the housekeeping before and after the big event… now there’s an idea!