10 Steps for Surviving Christmas
Christmas... that joyful time of year when all the relos are forced together on a stinking hot day while you do your best to hold things together and prevent the food from getting covered in flies! Not sure if you can do it this time? Here are our 10 tips for surviving Christmas this year.
Ahh Christmas, when we were kids it was the absolute best time of year. Heaps of presents, food, sweets and mum and dad didn't seem to care how out of control you ended up as you chased the cousins around with super soakers.
But then you get older, and suddenly Christmas just doesn't seem as fun as it used to be. The question "What are you doing for Christmas" is suddenly loaded with responsibility. Are you seeing Grandpa this year? Last year you spent it with your mother in law so maybe this year you'll spend it with your parents? But what about your father in law and his new girlfriend? And where will it be? Who's providing the food? And with Christmas just two days after you finish work, when on earth are you going to buy the presents?
It's enough to drive anyone insane! Santa sure makes it look easy, but maybe that's because he has all those elves floating about!
So take a deep breath, find your inner calm and scroll down for some fun ideas on coping with the stress this Christmas.
1) Get your Christmas Spirit ready! Even if that means saying over and over "I love Christmas, I love Christmas!" or finding the actual spirits.
2) Be prepared for bon bons that don't pop (you'll be stuck with that limp piece of cardboard, for sure), terrible jokes and people trying to take photos of you with a funny paper hat on your head. Grin and bear it, but be prepared to do damage control afterwards and delete all the photos before they find their way onto facebook!
3) Have fly swatters, bug zappers, mozzie-repellent and mortein on hand because you know the summer bugs will be out in force trying to share Christmas with you (and snack ON you at the same time).
4) If your family is of the extra extended type and Christmas is spread over several days and multiple venues make sure you've got the elasticised pants close to hand, because endless ham, roasts and pavlova might just extend the tummy a bit!
5) Are you a couple trying to work out whose parents to spend Christmas with? Whether they come to you or you go to them? Well whatever you decide, make sure you clarify the details with everyone - the last thing you want to do is spend Christmas passing each other on the freeway as you head off to each other's houses.
6) Not sure if you can brave the crazy Christmas shopping rush this year and wishing you didn't leave all your present shopping to the last minute? Well you can always do what my Grandma did one year - find all her old junk, spread it across a few tables and essentially turn Christmas day into a give-away garage sale.
7) The present opening can start organised but you know it will quickly degrade into chaos. Some people will be busy trying to save paper to recycle it next year while the kids are tearing it up by the fistful. Just take a breath and try to remember that every household down the street is having the same 'joyful' experience.
8) Worried the teens won't like your taste in presents? Then switch to gift vouchers. JB Hi Fi and iTunes have saved the day on many a Christmas for me!
9) If you've got divorced parents with new girlfriends, grandparents with new boyfriends or an uncle whose name has been crossed off the family tree then be prepared for politics and handle it the way all politicians do - smile, lie through your teeth and try not to drink too much!
10) Can't cope with Christmas this year? Then ESCAPE! Come on, I'm sure you've earnt the break and maybe it'll help you to find the energy so that next year you can survive another Christmas.
What are your tips for coping this Christmas? Is yours going to be a fun and relaxing day or have your nightmares all sprung to life in front of you? Tell us in the comments below!
