Christmas is supposed to be a truly wonderful time of the year where people from all faiths, backgrounds and cultures can join together to celebrate the modern version of what Christmas is. Sadly however the mass over-commercialization of Christmas has meant that this has become a festival whereby parents and many more people feel under great weight and pressure to have the best ever time, yet so rarely does that actually happen, and that is because of the stress which they are under.
Lifestyle coach Roger Wolfson has been speaking on this of late, about the dangers of losing Christmas, or at least the fun of it, through being too heavily focused on having a great time. If you have been guilty of his in the past, here are some tips for how you can actually have a good time this Christmas.
Gift Rules
If you are buying gifts for friends or family then set rules based on the amount of gifts you will buy and the amount of money you will spend. We have to trim down our gift buying, unless you are comfortably able to afford it. A failure to do this means you spend more than you have and that just creates unnecessary stress.
Focus on Togetherness
What puts the smile on our faces at Christmas is not the gifts, the great Christmas meal or anything else beyond togetherness. This is what Christmas should be about, spending time with your friends and family. When it comes to focussing on certain aspects of Christmas therefore, it should be done with the view of being together and enjoying it together, whatever that may look like.
Preparing
Many think that it is miserable to prepare a lot in lat November and early December but those who do are those who actually enjoy their Christmas more. This is what it is all about, not dashing around at the 11th hour trying to get gifts sorted or trying to buy all your shopping, keep your cool, plan ahead and ensure that you have the most amazing Christmas.
Christmas Dinner
Try not to get overly stressed about the dinner which you will be making for everyone, this is after all just one meal and as long as it has been made with love, everyone will enjoy it. Don’t take this on alone, get the support f your family and friends and you can all help. Remember that there is a lot which you can prepare the day before your Christmas and that means that you can relieve some of the pressure on the big day itself.
Volunteer or Donate
It is of course lovely to spend time with your family, enjoying gifts and great food, but we should always spare a thought for those who are not able to enjoy this. A donation or volunteering some of your time at this time of year would be a wonderful thing to do and if we all did it then the world would be a much better place.
Don’t let the stress takeover, this should be a lovely and kind-hearted event, nothing more, nothing less.
