Tips for a stress-free Christmas

Do you pile pressure on yourself to give your family the perfect Christmas? After last year’s less than ideal festive season, it feels even more important than ever. I see lots of families in December, for Christmas portraits and have gathered lots of tips for creating a stress-free, fun Christmas that your children will remember.

Now that my own children are grown up, I also have lots of advice to share. I vividly remember one year, when my boys were very little, I’d spent all my energy on buying presents, organising trips to Santa, visiting relatives. When I woke up on Christmas morning I was run down and had a terrible cold so spent the whole day sleeping on the sofa, unable to enjoy the day myself.

We’re our own worse enemies aren’t we? There are so many wonderful things around to do on the lead up to Christmas that it’s easy to want to do them all. But if we did, we’d be broke and exhausted by the day itself! Planning definitely helps and that includes planning in some down-time for yourself. Here are my top tips for creating a stress-free Christmas.

Food

Buy some extra party food before the day and freeze it, that way you get unexpected visitors you’re not caught short (Pom bears anyone?)

If there’s anything you can prepare beforehand, do it. If you can get something out the freezer or warm it up then all is good.

Social

Put someone else in charge of photographs. Give the job to an older child or relative who’s just got a new camera or smartphone. Make sure you ask them to send them to you so that you can print off your favourite memories. One of the traditions in my family growing up was a photo of us all at the dinner table. Looking back on them now is very special. Choose a couple of must have images that you can repeat each year. There’s some lovely suggestions here but please don’t try to get them all
https://christmasphere.com/christmas-day-photo-checklist/

Having lots of people in your home is stressful. Avoid adding to the stress by worrying about how everyone else is feeling. If Auntie Pat doesn’t get on with Great grandma June, that really isn’t your problem.

If someone offers to help – SAY YES! Many hands make light work and you don’t want to end up feeling resentful because you’ve done all the work yourself. This might include an offer of bringing a course along or stacking the dishwasher.

Entertainment

Add a small board or card game in your kid’s stockings and have a stash of Charades cards at the ready. Classic games that everyone can join in on can lift the mood and keep them occupied while you’re preparing food or having a post-dinner snooze.

Choose one big event to go to. Remember, you don’t have to do all the things. We’re so lucky, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells have some wonderful events going on. But you can’t do them all so pick the one that you’ll have the most fun at and do that. Check out Castlemas for lots of things in one place
https://www.castlemas.com/

Watching Christmas movies together is a great way and stress-free way to feel festive. With the added bonus of a possible snooze built in for you! Check out this blog for lots of ideas for the best family movies
https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/g5016/christmas-movies-for-kids/

Traditions

One thing my boys fondly remember is the Christmas traditions we have built up over the years. There aren’t many but the handful we have stick in the memory: Opening Christmas stockings together piled into our double bed, the same vintage advent calendars that we open every year, a vast Italian Nativity scene built up over the years by my husband’s school trips to Rome (as a teacher not a student!), using their grandparent’s Woolworth’s tree decorations.

Choose a couple of traditions for your family, ones that really bring you joy and stick with those. Don’t let a tradition add extra pressure to the festive season.

If you’ve taken on an Elf on the Shelf, you might want to check out my blog for daily inspiration
https://hushabye-photography.co.uk/elf-on-the-shelf-for-every-day/

I hope my tips will help you enter the Christmas season with some good plans and strategies in place to make it a stress-free experience for you and