Peace on earth and goodwill to all men… really? Not one of my acquaintances is able to boast that the Christmas season brings peace and joy to all who inhabit their world. Why is that? It’s just a day right? One day out of 365 and yet it is almost always a guarantee of enormous amounts of stress, ranting, eye rolling, placating and bleary eyed promises of ‘never again’.
In that spirit, I have devised a list of my top ten tips to avoid a meltdown of nuclear proportions.
- Under no circumstances should you do the Christmas grocery shopping with your offspring in tow. It’s not normally barrels of fun, so why would it be the week before Christmas?
- You need a list. Perhaps several. I like the list for lists approach. On this piece of paper which must never be lost: presents list, food to buy list, dishes to prepare list, things for husband to do list, chores to be done list, things to be done list, things that don’t fit on another list list.
- Christmas Eve is not the time to wrap, cook, build, put together, pack, clean or bake. And if it is, don’t attempt all of these at one time. This is not the time for mummy multi-tasking. It’s a 3am bedtime waiting to happen. You’ll be up in 2 hours anyway.
- A champagne breakfast is never a good idea. Drinking early will end in tears later. Whose tears? Take a number.
- If one must cook a turducken don’t make Christmas Day your first attempt. And really, why would this be a good idea anyway?
- Napping is just for children, pets and the elderly. It’s not for mummies. Who has the time? There must be something left to do on the list. Any of the lists.
- Batteries, batteries, batteries. Lots of ’em in varying shapes, sizes and voltages. Need I say more?
- Think like an athlete, Christmas Day is a marathon not a sprint. One must hydrate and snack regularly.
- Pain killers are a must. They should be easily accessible and in a number of locations. Probably a good idea to have some on hand for the children too.
- Enjoy yourself. It comes but once a year. You have 364 days to prepare yourself for the next one!
Do you have any tips for a stress-free Christmas Day?