How to enjoy Christmas

Modern day living is punctuated by a fast pace that just flows into every aspect of our life, including Christmas Day. Once upon a time Christmas meant opening presents, having a long lunch, an afternoon nap and some family games with a turkey sandwich but now we must dash about visiting relatives, creating impossible menus that become more elaborate and endless ‘activities’ but is this what we really want?

If we want things to go well, then like anything it takes a little bit of planning. Sit down with your family and decide what it is that you would all like to do at Christmas. Discuss the compromises that need to be made in order to ensure that the most popular activities are achieved. Ensure that what will happen on Christmas Day is settled well before the day itself.

Like all good event planning, create a bit of a timeline, even if it is only in your head. Make sure you have built in to this some quiet activities and alone ‘down time’. All of these will ensure that the day is not a full-throttle day that delivers lots of stress.

Remember – take the time to tell people how much they mean to you and be sure to take a quiet moment to reflect on your own many blessings.