Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year – but also one of the most stressful. We’ve got you covered with A Mum’s Christmas survival guide. Let’s face it, in most households Mum’s end up doing most of the work in the lead up to Christmas, as well as the big day itself too. It’s no wonder A Mum’s Christmas survival guide comes in handy. Everything you need to know to get you through this Christmas season!
Surviving before Christmas
The lead up to Christmas seems to be getting longer and longer. It feels as though the list of things to do gets longer and longer. Remember to not get swept away in what others do, focus on making traditions with your family.
Start early
After saying the lead up to Christmas is getting longer and longer, i’m now going to tell you to start your shopping early 😂. I tend to buy things when I see them on offer or reduced. Back in the Summer, I found some large Lego Friends sets reduced in the supermarket from £30 to £4 each. I grabbed a couple and put them away for Christmas. Keep an eye on black Friday deals too! Not only does shopping early take the pressure off in the lead up to the big day but it also helps spread the cost.
Set a budget
Christmas is expensive! I know some people who get themselves in debt or struggle financially for the rest of the year. Christmas can be amazing even when limiting the cost of it. Set yourself a budget, not only for presents, but decorations and food. Keep track of what you have spent, it can be easy to lose track. Consider saving throughout the year if you would like to have less worries over money in the Christmas period. If you could manage to put away £10 a week for the 47 weeks before Christmas you would have a reasonable amount put away.
Consider making decorations, remember making paper chains as a kid? I do, and it was great fun, and yet I have never done this with my boys. There is so much more than just saving money, it’s making memories and new traditions. Salt dough Christmas decorations are easy to make and lots of fun.
Set realistic expectations
Social media in the run-up to Christmas is full of other people’s traditions and idealistic visions of Christmas. It can be easy to begin to think you need a hot chocolate station, Christmas Eve boxes and matching family pyjamas. I know most of us didn’t have any of that at Christmas as children and our time wasn’t any less special or precious. Don’t feel you have to compete with others and do all the things you see online.
Don’t be afraid to say no!
It can be easy to over commit in the Christmas period. Not only are us Mums trying to remember nativity costumes, Christmas jumper day and parties, we also want to organise festive activities outside of school. You and your children are likely to get tired towards Christmas, the kids are ready to break up from school and so are you most likely. Don’t feel you have to do something every day, sometimes a cosy pyjama day is the most fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do too much.
Surviving Christmas day
After all the preparation, comes the visit from Santy C and the big day begins. Emotions and excitement run high, and the day can be quite stressful for Mums. Here are our tips for surviving Christmas.
Delegation
One of the things I struggle with is delegating and handing over control to others. I have started trying to delegate tasks to take the pressure off myself. Even if something isn’t done the exact way I would like, it really doesn’t matter. It is only a small part of the day overall. Where possible, try to share responsibilities out, even the kids can help out with some of the jobs, even if it is Christmas.
Forget about the small things
If you have family coming over to visit, remember they aren’t going to care if you have dusted your skirting boards. They are looking forward to spending time with you. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to finish any odd jobs you may have been putting off.
Take time for yourself
Christmas is such a busy period, it can be tricky to find any time for yourself at all. Try these quick mindfulness moments, when you manage to sneak a few moments for yourself. Plan something nice for yourself after Christmas so you have something to look forward to when it’s all over.
Remember what Christmas means to your family
Christmas is a time for celebrating with family. No matter what your traditions are or your beliefs, family is at the heart of it. Try to be present and enjoy moments throughout the day. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if the dinner is slightly late because you have been playing with the kids. If things don’t go exactly to plan, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes the best memories we have are when things have gone wrong, it’s how we deal with these things that make the memories.
Powerful
Finally, a reminder to stock up on batteries!!! There will always be toys and gadgets that need batteries and they hardly ever come with them. Be prepared, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
That’s all folks
There you have it, A Mum’s Christmas survival guide. I hope you have found these tips useful, help a mama out and share your comments for surviving Christmas in the comments below.
Have a very Merry Christmas,
Sophie x
