Can Christmas day itself ever be relaxing?
Self care isn’t selfish, it’s a necessary part of a healthy and happy Christmas. We hope these ideas will help you to think through your celebrations and to endeavor to make them suit you as much as possible. Make the time about enjoying the little things of life, make time for people and appreciate the good things that life has to offer.01 December 2017
Christmas is upon us! As well as being a joyous time of eating, drinking and being merry, for many the festive season can also be one of the most stressful. So what can you do to survive the day itself and come out the other end actually feeling you have had a break, rather than feeling in desperate need of one?
If you are responsible for cooking and hosting the Christmas Day activities, then don’t take it all upon yourself. Why not ask other family members to bring different parts of the meal, such as snacks, salads or desserts – don’t be afraid to ask for help. You could even rope in the kids to help out. Make sure you have some time for you, even if it's just allowing yourself to watch one special TV show that you really want to see.
Even as a guest of a friend or relative there will be tension involved. How much help can you give without it being too much or too little? Are you staying over? Do you get along with everybody there? You will need to be the mature person who finds a way to keep out of any family arguments, or find a way to diffuse them.
Build in your own pauses in the day. Escape to the bathroom and lock the door for 10 minutes, take a walk around the garden and breathe the air, accept that you are only responsible for your own attitude to life and that you probably won’t please everybody all the time and, at the end, be very firm about the idea that after the meal and the many cups of tea are drunk, you are not in charge of the washing up.
Once your responsibilities are discharged, grab your drink, commandeer a seat that you know to be comfortable and settle down for an evening with the people you love. The clean-up will wait until tomorrow.
Remember it’s your Christmas too so try to relax and have fun, laugh and be merry. If you do find others around you difficult then try to rise above the situation. If things don’t go to plan try not to worry too much, instead laugh about them and make them into fun memories that you can talk about during Christmases to come.
Don’t try and do everything
If you are responsible for cooking and hosting the Christmas Day activities, then don’t take it all upon yourself. Why not ask other family members to bring different parts of the meal, such as snacks, salads or desserts – don’t be afraid to ask for help. You could even rope in the kids to help out. Make sure you have some time for you, even if it's just allowing yourself to watch one special TV show that you really want to see.
Even as a guest of a friend or relative there will be tension involved. How much help can you give without it being too much or too little? Are you staying over? Do you get along with everybody there? You will need to be the mature person who finds a way to keep out of any family arguments, or find a way to diffuse them.
Build in your own pauses in the day. Escape to the bathroom and lock the door for 10 minutes, take a walk around the garden and breathe the air, accept that you are only responsible for your own attitude to life and that you probably won’t please everybody all the time and, at the end, be very firm about the idea that after the meal and the many cups of tea are drunk, you are not in charge of the washing up.
Once your responsibilities are discharged, grab your drink, commandeer a seat that you know to be comfortable and settle down for an evening with the people you love. The clean-up will wait until tomorrow.
Remember it’s your Christmas too so try to relax and have fun, laugh and be merry. If you do find others around you difficult then try to rise above the situation. If things don’t go to plan try not to worry too much, instead laugh about them and make them into fun memories that you can talk about during Christmases to come.