5 Christmas Hacks For A Stress-Free Christmas Day

 

“The holidays are coming, holidays are coming” in the words of that huge multinational brand, Coca Cola, Christmas is nearly here. That time of year where we feel under pressure to pretend that we all have the perfect family life and suddenly think that we can have all of our family, including distant Aunts, Uncles, twice removed cousins, all under one roof and that it will all be jolly. Note to self: it won’t be jolly, especially when you don’t have room to swing a cat. It’s also the time of year when we succumb to the commercial nature of it and forget the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, it’s the time of year when we waste all of our hard earned money on plastic tat for the children. For that tat to be consigned to the bin by Boxing Day because it has already broken. It’s the time of year when we think that we are Mary Berry and that we can cook a billion different Christmas cakes, only for us to have a sherry induced breakdown over them, and we forget about feeding the cake sherry and feed ourselves sherry instead.

You just have to love Christmas don’t you?! There is a reason for January being the time of year when most people choose to get divorced, Christmas. No one wants to be criticised over their Christmas trifle when they have been up since the crack of dawn making their desserts. I am sharing my Christmas hacks for a stress free Christmas which should mean that you don’t have to consult all of the divorce lawyers.

Christmas Hacks For A Stress-Free Christmas

Go Away

If you can’t face the stress of Christmas, the build-up, the cooking and the entertaining of family, then go away. We did it last year and we will be doing it this year. Some call this hiding, you might even want to use the label bah-humbug. I call it being very sensible. Christmas is fantastic when you aren’t the one doing all of the cooking.

Buy It Ready Made

Go and worship at the M&S altar and stock up on their ready made Christmas selection. Turkey crowns, vegetables peeled and drizzled in some of that fancy maple shizz, and teeny tiny puddings that still contain 1 billion calories, despite their size. Hide the boxes and wow your guests with your cool and calm collected persona on Christmas Day. They will think that you are a culinary genius. Jamie Oliver eat your heart out.

Stock Up On Booze

Ensure that everyone is kept topped up throughout Christmas Day. Get the sherry in for your Nan, also add a bottle into that trifle. It’s called sherry trifle after all. Start everyone on bucks fizz for breakfast and then just keep them topped up for the rest of the day. This way they won’t notice if you burn the Christmas dinner, they won’t care when the Christmas dinner is 3 hours late and they won’t bat an eyelid when you flambé the Christmas Pudding, managing to singe the cat’s tail in the process. Everyone will just have a jolly time and think that you are marvellous.

Wear Christmas Jumpers

Nothing shouts happy families than when you force all of your family to wear matching comedy Christmas jumpers. It shows that you are all one (slightly deranged) unit. You are a family. Paper over those cracks and get those Christmas jumpers on.

Stay Away From Pinterest

We need to accept that we will never have the Pinterest perfect Christmas. We won’t be setting a Christmas welcome table, we will not be able to turn our napkins into Christmas trees and we won’t be serving eggnog to our neighbours. Stay away from Pinterest and keep those expectations low and you are onto a win, win for Christmas Day.

Do you have any Christmas Hacks, ones that are actually serious and might help people ;-)?

  1. dearbearandbeany says

    Great ideas! We are hosting both sides of our family this year all together and I’m feeling the pressure already. I have been checking out M&S as I do think I need some help to not cook everything from scratch!

  2. Emma says

    We always have Christmas jumpers for Christmas day! We also try and make a gingerbread house, that always turns out horrendously… definitely not Pinterest perfect Christmas.

  4. Little Fish (@LittleFishBlog) says

    Oh you are a woman after my own heart! ‘Go away’ is the best advice I have heard! We might go away to family this year, since we haven’t spent a Christmas with them for yonks. Be nice to just turn up with some M&S mince pies and not have to cook! 😉 I do feel the pressure over presents, ironically even more so since we don’t have any spare money this year. But - having given away most of the kids toys before our move, feeling bad about it, then to realise they barely noticed them missing - has made me feel less guilty if they don’t get much this year. My toddler is happy playing with saucepans and spoons! 🙂

  7. Laura Dove says

    Stay away from Pinterest is a fab piece of advice! There is SO much pressure now to do all of these amazing and creative things, when I was younger there was no such thing as special advent gifts or Christmas eve boxes. I miss a simpler time!

  9. So Happy In Town (@SoHappyInTown) says

    Going away sounds like a very good idea but one we haven’t managed yet. Also stocking up on booze which we manage every year! And I shall definitely definitely be staying away from Pinterest! #FridayFrolics

  11. KHF says

    I am literally doing ALL of these things this year. Going to the in-laws, have ‘bought’ a load of alcohol on airmiles and will be giving the dog to my parents. Utter bliss. Roll on Chrimbo #FridayFrolics

  15. Family Makes says

    Yes, you’ve nailed it! We are hoping to be away at Christmas but still haven’t finalised plans. meantime, I have the jumpers sorted, and will do my best to stay away from Pinterest (but that’s the hardest part!!)

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