CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day

BY ROSALIND TULLOCH

Making Christmas Day work for you this year

Whether you live for Christmas or you simply tolerate the chaos of the festive period, there is no escaping the festive season, and it can have a nasty habit of becoming the most stressful time of year for many of us. Between juggling family commitments, shopping for the perfect array of presents, and worrying over the perfect cooking of a turkey, it can certainly take its toll on our stress levels, energy levels, and general wellbeing.

We want to help make Christmas a little easier this year, so we have come up with some Christmas hacks to hopefully make your life a little easier, keep your wallet a little fuller, keep your energy levels a little more stable and bring a little festive cheer to your Christmas this year.

SAVE YOUR ENERGY

Cooking everything from scratch for Christmas, from the main event and canapes, to mince pies and desserts is an unrealistic and unnecessary goal. Some of us love cooking and revel in homemade baking, but the reality is that it takes up a lot of time and energy. The supermarkets have upped their game over the last few years and you will find an amazing array of readymade goodies that will surprise your taste buds and keep to your Christmas budget. Aldi and Lidl are firm favourites for their affordable delicacies and keep your eyes peeled for special offers in all the supermarkets this year – you can’t pass up a chocolate orange at 75p can you?

SECRET SANTA

Christmas is the most expensive time of year. The pressure to buy presents for family, friends, kids, work colleagues and even pets, can be overwhelming, especially this year. A great way to avoid this huge expense is to introduce the idea of doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. Get your family or friends on board, set a budget that you are all happy with and then pull a name out of a hat, and remember to keep it secret. This way everyone gets a present and there is limited shopping stress.

SHARE THE COOKING

If you are hosting Christmas at your house this year, don’t take on the expense and work of preparing Christmas dinner all yourself. Set out a plan and ask all of your guests to bring along a dish or item to contribute to the day. Everyone chipping in to help makes the day much more enjoyable and far less expensive for you, so make a list and have someone bring dessert, another could bring a cheese board, and someone else could bring the wine. On the day, make sure you get anyone who is able to help peel the carrots and potatoes, or enlist their help in setting the table, and ensure everyone does their fair share of washing up, that is not a job for one.

CARDS AND GIFTS

Sending Christmas cards and gifts is a lovely way to share some festive cheer, but the cost can really mount up with postage and delivery prices. Why not come up with a compromise this year and hand deliver as many cards as you can and send an e-card or a Christmas message via email or text, you could even record a short Christmas video message as a family and send it out to family and friends who live further afield. This is a free and thoughtful way to let people know you are thinking of them, and you have no worries about anything arriving on time!

SAY NO

This time of year is filled with catchups, drinks parties, lunches, office parties and various other festive outings. It can be exhausting trying to show commitment to everything you are invited to, and the best gift you can give yourself this year is the gift of saying no. Don’t feel pressured into attending parties and events that will just zap your energy and leave you feeling exhausted. Sometimes you just need to curl up in your warmest pyjamas on your sofa to watch Christmas movies, and that is ok. Make sure you put your health first and say no more this year.

CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL

Nothing says Christmas like morning drinking, and if the family are all coming over you will understand why! If you want to add a little fizz to your day, but without all the fuss of shaking cocktails and finding obscure liquors in the shops, simply whip up a little champagne cocktail – or use prosecco, cava or crémant as they all work just as well. Simply pop a sugar cube in the bottom of the glass add a dash of brandy, top up with some fizz and add a slice of orange, it makes for a lovely Christmas cocktail without too much fuss or expense. They are strong so please be sure to always drink responsibly, or at least make sure you are on a comfy sofa ready to fall asleep in front of the TV if you have had one too many.