Take the Stress out of Christmas

Take the Stress out of Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be a special celebration of love, so why is it that so many of us just feel completely stressed by Decenter 25? Christmas should be time when you focus on love - the love of God for his people by sending baby Jesus, and the love you have in turn for your family and friends. However, the Christmas season is among the most stressful times for many people, especially as the commercialised pressures of the season increase financial pressure on many families. Time seems shorter, as you rush from crowded shops to various social functions and parties, and by December 25, you just want to collapse in a heap. Instead, you have to turn around and cook an immense feast for all your family and deal with over-excited children, fighting relatives, and finally a mountain of dishes to end the day.

The following six tips will help you to take the stress out of the season and will help you to enjoy Christmas with your family.

1 - Set the Financial Budget and Stick to It

One of the biggest stresses of this time of year is the additional financial stress of buying presents, hosting parties, and decorating your house for the festivities. Putting everything on the credit card may have been the short-term solution in the past, but that option just adds to the stress as you wonder how you will pay the bills in the next few months. The credit card is not a solution available to many people who have suffered with the current financial situation in many countries.

Instead, try looking at creating a realistic budget for your Christmas expenditure. Consider what money you can afford to spend on Christmas and decide how much will be for presents. Set a food and liquor budget too. Sticking to your budget may encourage you to be more creative in the ways you spend money this season, but it will reduce your financial stress.

2 - Cut Down on Present Buying

You may find that buying presents for everyone you have ever known is not really appropriate any more. You may want to discuss options within your extended family for reducing the costs of presents, such as setting a price range for presents, only buying for children and not adults, or each person only buying one present for a designated person, so everyone gets one decent present, instead of ten small ones.

Save money by making presents instead of buying all of your presents. Make a batch of cookies, package them attractively, and you can have six or seven small gifts for less than $10. Don't buy a pre-packaged Christmas hamper as a gift, but fill an inexpensive basket from a discount store with home-made goodies or products on sale.

Remember that the point of giving gifts is to celebrate love, not to compare who spends the most money. The fewer presents you have to shop for will also reduce your stress by reducing the time you have to spend in the crowded shops.

3 - Create a Shopping List

Instead of racing around the shops, trying to work out what to buy for each person and forgetting half of the things you wanted and having to make another time to go back again, save yourself some stress by sitting down and writing a list of everything you need before you go to the shops. Start by writing down each person you want to buy gifts for and the amount you have budgeted for each gift. Then, look at cataloges or online and decide on the present you want to purchase for that person. If you can buy it online, you'll save some stress at the shopping center too! See if you can group any presents together, so you buy those in the same shop.

When it comes to food shopping, create a list of the food you want for the party you are hosting. Think about creating a menu and then listing the foods you need to buy to fill that menu. Don't add extra things into your cart when in the supermarket, as it will be tempting to do. Stick to your list and you will find you don't overspend your budget or end up with too much food.

4 - Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

You do not have to do everything yourself. Even your children can help with many tasks, like setting the table for the Christmas feast. Consider delegating the task of decorating your house to one of your children and you may be happily surprised at how creatively the decorations are put up. Encourage all of your children to help with decorations by using craft projects that make interesting decorations in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A craft project can help to keep your children entertained while you are attending other social functions in the season and give your children something fun to do with the babysitter.

Consider if it is appropriate to ask your guests to contribute to the Christmas feast. Most people are quite happy to bring a side dish to share or even their own drinks. This can help to cut down the cost of the food and will also reduce the number of meals or dishes you have to spend your time cooking and preparing, so it will reduce your stress too.

5 - Look for Easy Options

Using paper plates and plastic cups for a large party makes sense, especially as you can simply put all the used plates in the garbage, instead of spending hours washing up when you want to spend time relaxing with your family and guests after the meal. Consider if you can "kill two birds with one stone" by using one thing for two purposes. An attractively decorated dessert can double as the table centerpiece and the dessert, for example.

Instead of cutting up fruit for a platter, place whole peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries in a bowl and place it on the table. When choosing recipes, look for recipes that can be made one or two days in advance and easily finished ready to serve on the day of the party. This means you can spread out the feast preparation over a few days instead of trying to do it all in one exhausting morning. Look at the various convenience options available at the supermarket and consider how you can save time and effort this Christmas by keeping your celebrations simple.

6 - Don't Forget to Take Time to Relax Too

Remember that the purpose of the Christmas celebration is to enjoy time with your loved ones. Plan your time, so that you have time to relax with the people you love. It doesn't really matter if you leave the dishes until after the guests have gone. Give your house a good clean a week before Christmas and then a quick tidy up on the day will suffice, leaving you more time to enjoy being with your children on Christmas morning. Remember everyone will be more interested in sharing the time with you than in how your house looks. Avoid stressing about making Christmas "perfect" and just enjoy the time you do have together. Laughter is more precious than a "perfect" table setting or a "perfect" house.


Christmas is about love and sharing your love with friends and family. Take the stress out of the season by focusing on your loved ones, and not trying to live up to impossible standards of creating the "perfect" Christmas celebration. Involve everyone in the process and you may be surprised at how much more you enjoy Christmas this year.

Comments (1)

ysabeljhen
Great articlethumbs up

Now that holiday is fast approaching
surely some will be stress out on the holiday prep budgeting etc
this would be a guide in some way we can be stress outthumbs up cheers

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