Take 5…….Christmas!

With Halloween and Bonfire Night now over, the rest of the year is now gearing up to Christmas. Even if you are someone who doesn’t start any form of Christmas planning until nearer the date, you can’t escape the sight of Christmas wreaths and trees outside supermarkets and Poinsettias now on sale.

Christmas can be a very special time of year, spending time with family and friends, but it can also a stressful time and often a very miserable time, especially if you have lost loved ones over the years or are on your own for whatever reason. You might also have the added worry about ageing parents or family members who are currently unwell. It is hard at times to balance all the balls in the air without then the added burden of planning of Christmas, especially if you are working as well.

So what can we do to make this time of year less stressful? Mike’s motto is to ‘keep it simple’ and this is a strategy I have used many times when trying to make difficult decisions over the last 12 months or so. Keeping present buying simple – we often forget what present we bought or were given, but we do remember the connections we made over the festive season. Delegate tasks to other family members or friends – you don’t need to do everything yourself, even if they don’t do it ‘your way!’  Have a pen and notebook beside your bed – if you are lying awake with things going through your head, write them down; you will get off or back to sleep more quickly knowing you won’t have forgotten everything.

Lastly, we forget that really Christmas starts on Christmas Eve with the twelve days of Christmas, ending on the 6th January, but we get carried along with starting Christmas far earlier than even December. Whilst perhaps this gives us more planning and thinking time, it can also add more stress, because we have longer to overthink things. Over the years when I have worked over Christmas / New Year in the NHS, the Christmas tree had no pine needles left by Christmas Eve, presents had not been delivered, family members were bickering, whilst I overcooked the Turkey which everyone then diligently chewed and chewed their way through with copious amounts of gravy, whilst I had a complete sense of humour failure. I realise now I didn’t keep things simple. I just wanted everything to be perfect for my family, whilst also looking after the sick people in the UK.

Let’s remember Christmas for what it really is – a time to celebrate with family and friends, remembering those who are not with us and showing kindness to those that are unwell, but above all, time to just enjoy the festive season which only comes round once a year and if everything isn’t quite right, relax, go with the flow and know that New Year is not that far away!