With the excitement and anticipation of our young ones comes many stresses and worries for us parents, as we scramble to play out the role of the selfless provider.
The jingling sound of sleigh bells, the laughter of children...
Shane MacGowan’s raspy voice crackling out from the radio speakers. All these things conjure up the warm image of Christmas time in our minds. A time filled with happiness, defined by goodwill and sharing. It really is a time for our children. Anticipation for the Christmas period often begins before Halloween. Children already begin mentally making their wish lists.
With the excitement and anticipation of our young ones comes many stresses and worries for us parents, as we scramble to play out the role of the selfless provider. It needn’t be all doom and gloom though, and following is a set of hints and tips to ensure you don’t get weighed down by the stresses that come hand in hand with the holiday season.
Start early...
This is the most practical piece of advice that can be given concerning Christmas time, especially if you are buying for multiple children. The best strategy is to focus on each child’s main present first, perhaps putting down a deposit on the items in the run-up to Christmas. Keep note of all the gifts you have put by in a journal or the memo pad of your mobile phone. Only after all the main presents have been paif off should you start worrying about smaller gifts like stocking fillers. Purchasing gifts in this manner helps to dispel a lot of the chaos associated with Christmas shopping. The more organised you are, the less likely it is that you’ll find yourself thinking “I don’t know where to start” or “Have I forgotten something?” Prioritise the gifts and keep a record.
The dinner doesn’t have to be the cause of anxiety...
Making Christmas dinner is a hugely important part of the holiday experience, and because of this it can cause a lot of unnecessary heartache and stress. Supermarkets are a nightmare to navigate the closer it gets to the big day; so again, time is of the essence here. A list of required food items should be made, and crossed off the list as each piece is purchased to avoid duplication. A lot of people find that they buy too much food, and end up with cupboards full of surplus items. Simple things like delegating specific tasks to family members can reduce a lot of confusion and cut back on preparation times. If your sister (for example) is taking charge of mashing the spuds, it opens up extra time for you to tend to the other elements of the dinner.
Don’t forget the little things...
Don’t forget to make a Christmas card list. Again, help should be employed here to ensure nobody is forgotten. Also, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, it is never a bad idea to stock up on little gifts like boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine that can be given as presents to people that slipped your mind. Everybody loves a box of chocolates, and they make for great last minute gifts.
By David Hughes