December is such a busy time of the year. There’s presents to buy, food shopping to do, decorations to put up and on top of that we actually have to go to work. So how can you make sure you’re really prepared for Christmas without feeling stressed out? With just under a week to go until Christmas Day, I’ve compiled a guide of the things you should start doing now to ensure you have a relaxing, stress free Christmas.
Wrapping presents
No one wants to be wrapping presents right up until the last minute. Ideally you should get this wrapped up (get it!) as soon as possible. Dedicate a bit of time over the next couple of nights to get all your presents wrapped. You may not feel like doing it, but be strict with yourself as it’s one less thing to worry about in the lead up to the big day.
If you’re anything like me then you’ll hate wrapping which means there’s more temptation to delay it. Try and make it as fun as you can though, rope in your partner to help, have a glass of mulled wine or Baileys to hand and put on a film or some Christmas music and before you know it all the gifts will be wrapped.
Cleaning the house
Have a big clean of the house around 2-3 days before Christmas Eve that way most of the big stuff will be done and you’ll feel much happier and settled knowing the house is clean and tidy. If needs be you can then just have a quick whip around with the hoover and a wipe down of the kitchen just before Christmas. You’ll thank yourself for getting all the big cleaning and tidying tasks out of the way in advance.
If you’ve got guests round for Christmas the last thing you need is a big day of cleaning on your hands too. I’ll be honest, we don’t have guests over for dinner and I still wouldn’t want to do a massive clean just before Christmas. I like to get the big Christmas clean out of the way and just spruce things up the day before.
Food prep
There’s actually quite a lot of Christmas food that can be made in advance. Most desserts keep really well so you can definitely make these 1-2 days in advance of Christmas Day. We always make our mash potatoes on Christmas Eve and keep them in the fridge. We also make cauliflower cheese on Christmas Eve then all we have to do the next day is sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and whack it in the oven to warm through. We make our own Yorkshire puddings so on Christmas Day morning we get them in the oven and cooking as soon as possible. That way there’s more room in your oven and it makes timings much easier.
The key here is to prep as much of the food as you can before Christmas Day! To make sure you don’t miss anything off your Christmas food shopping list check out our Useful guide to food shopping essentials for Christmas.
For years my mum told me the best thing she did was to cook the turkey on Christmas Eve so basically all the food prep was done the day before. We never followed her advice and always cooked the turkey on Christmas Day. One year we thought why not give it a god? We haven’t looked back since. I know for a lot of people the smell of turkey cooking on Christmas Day is a source of enjoyment, especially if you have guests over. But let me tell you how amazing it is to not have to do anything on Christmas Day. We’ll definitely be cooking our turkey on Christmas Eve from now on.
Family time
I always feel like families can be the source of a lot of stress over the Christmas period. It’s why we decided to keep Christmas dinner just for us and not have family over. We prefer to have family visiting in the morning then the rest of the day is for us.
I really think it’s important to set boundaries and have a day that makes you happy, not everyone else. Christmas should be a fun and happy time and stressing over which family members to invite to dinner is anything but fun.
There’s a lot of pressure to have a big family Christmas and that doesn’t have to be the case if you don’t want it to be. I couldn’t think of anything worse! Having Christmas just as a couple really keeps the stress levels down. Don’t get me wrong I love spending time with my family but when you’re a couple and both sets of parents are divorced, there’s always going to be someone that’s unhappy when they don’t receive and invite and someone else did.
People feel obliged to do a lot of things at Christmas that they really don’t need to and family time is definitely right up there at the top. Make sure to make yourself happy.
A relaxed Christmas Eve
If you get all the above things done you should allow yourself a super relaxed Christmas Eve to ensure you’re all refreshed for the big day! Because you may have been focusing on cooking the Christmas dinner, either order a takeaway or just throw some party nibbles together for some Christmas Eve food. Have a few drinks and stick on a Christmas movie. You could even use the day to get in a little bit of last minute Christmas self care. I actually prefer the run up to Christmas and Christmas Eve more than the day itself so I always make sure I take the time to really enjoy this day and soak up all the festive cheer.
Do you have any tips for a stress free Christmas? Share them in the comments.
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I love this! December can be a stressful month but these tips are really helpful, thank you x
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Thanks, I’m glad you found it helpful!
It is SO important to set boundaries with family over the holidays. That’s a big source of stress for SO many people! My husband and I have found a schedule that has been working for us the last few years – we spend Christmas Eve with his family, Christmas morning we wake up and spend it just us at home and then we head out for the big road trip (6 hours) north to visit with my family for Boxing Day and the following few days. That time alone is SO important to allow us to enjoy the season without feeling totally overwhelmed.
That’s lovely and it’s so good that you’ve found a schedule that works for you. It’s important to do what makes you happy and have a nice Christmas without trying to please others.