Colm Fitzpatrick
Preparing for Christmas can take the stress out of the day, writes Colm Fitzpatrick
There are certain facts that you can only learn about by growing older: time is a limited resource; your health is a priority; and of course, Christmas is really stressful. For kids, this festive day is almost other-worldly, where they wake up to the knowledge that overnight Santa Claus has left them with a seemingly endless supply of gifts which they can play with late into the night.
Added to this, they look forward to a delicious Christmas dinner topped off with all of the chocolate that is parading around the house. It’s undoubtedly the day which children dream about the most.
The story for parents is usually much different, as they stay up all night making sure presents have been properly allocated to the right child, and during the day juggle all things food while trying to find the scissors they misplaced after having to remove yet more packaging from a toy.
Of course, as any parent will tell you, these little experiences are in some ways the best parts of Christmas and create fond memories that can still be recollected years after they occurred. However, it’s almost universally recognised by psychologists and researchers that Christmas is extremely stress-inducing and more so than most people realise.
The panic leading up to the day because of worries over presents or severe over-spending can push people into a mental health overload.
Likewise, this stress can cause a breakdown in the immune system, leading to sickness over the holidays which can carry on into the new year. And while it’s impossible to remove all of the stress from Christmas, there are certainly preparatory methods and practices that you can start applying now to make this Christian holiday a merry one.
Presence for presents
Many parents are susceptible to the practice of wrapping all of the presents for their family on Christmas Eve or on the day before. This inevitably leads to confusion over what present is for who, whether there is enough wrapping paper, and a panic to get the whole task completed. In this case, the adage ‘slow and steady wins the race’ should be implemented here and so you should try and wrap any presents you have weeks before Christmas.
In this way, they can be properly organised so when it comes to Christmas Eve it’s simply a matter of placing them in the living room without all the stress and worry that usually accompanies this job.
A clean house is a clean mind
Another task that can help reduce stress for the big day is giving the house a deep clean – not just a quick hoover but a complete clear out. Firstly, your decorations will look so much better against the background of a tidy house, but there are also great practical benefits to this type of clean. For example, with all of the new toys and items coming into the house, throwing out old things you don’t need to give space to the new ones will mean less cluttering. Likewise, binning any unwanted food in the fridge and cupboards means there’ll be more space for all the festive ingredients and dishes.
Charge up
One task parents almost always forget to do in the lead up to Christmas is making sure they buy batteries. Many toys like hand-held video games or remote-controlled cars are battery-powered so to avoid the upset screams of a child who can’t play with their new gift, buy the batteries early. Also, don’t throw all your eggs in one basket by just buying one size – different toys require different batteries so stock up. It’s vital that you do this early in the month, because there’s very few images sadder than a stressed-out parent frantically searching for an open shop on Christmas day for batteries.
Food, glorious food
Preparing for Christmas doesn’t mean you should only be focusing on gifts – the festive dinner is one of the most celebrated parts of the day. For most houses, Christmas is a time where families are finally once again together, so underappreciating the importance of this meal would be a big mistake.
In the lead up to Christmas, make a list of all the ingredients you need for dinner, making sure you already have some of the common household items like gravy granules or cranberry sauce. On top of this, given that many shops are closed or have limited stock during the Christmas week, be sure to buy a supply of food that will satiate you throughout the next few days. Otherwise, the menu in the house will just be turkey sandwiches until the new year!
Dishing it out
It’s important to remember that even if you have all the necessary food for Christmas day, you might not have all of the dishes and cutlery to eat it. Try and buy everything you need for the meal, and make sure to buy a few extra plates for any surprise visitors. If you’re hosting family or friends at your house, it’s also nice to use the correct types of cutlery for each course of the meal.
Drinks also fall into this category so stock up on items like wine glasses, otherwise your guests will be drinking their alcoholic beverages from mugs.
Stale mail
As it gets closer to Christmas, it’s vital that any packages you need to be given to family and friends up and down the country or overseas are sent early. Christmas postal dates are different from ordinary dates and will affect when your package is finally delivered. To avoid a gift not being given to the right person at the right time make sure you send off all of your gifts early.
This will give you the comforting knowledge that they will receive their present before Christmas, rather than leaving you in the dark. Likewise, when it comes to sending your Christmas cards through the mail, try and get it done and dusted fast so you can focus on other parts of the holiday.
Visitor vibes
For families where the children have grown up and left the nest, it’s helpful to find out when they’ll be arriving for Christmas and leaving. There’s no point cooking an extra Christmas dinner if your child isn’t going to be there to eat it.
By knowing when your child will be arriving at your home, you’ll feel more prepared and won’t be wondering throughout the day when they’re coming over. You’ll also know if they’ve been delayed or an interruption to their travel has happened if they’re not around at the time they gave you.
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While these tips won’t eradicate all the worries and fears that build up during Christmas, they will definitely go a long way in helping you organise a better day for you, your family and your friends.
It might even surprise you how much more relaxed you feel on the day. While it’s great to make sure that your children have a pampered-out time with all the frills, it’s important to remember that Christmas is also a day for you to celebrate. By getting bogged down in all of these stress-inducing tasks, it can be easy to forget that you too need to sit back and celebrate this Christian holiday of family and hope.