Clever tips to make Christmas easier

Identify your festive model

At Christmas, it’s important to dig deep and remember your own personal source of inspiration. For example, my “spirit animal” is The Dude from the iconic Coen brothers film. The Big Lebowski. For what? Well, he lives in a dressing gown, drinks White Russians for breakfast and is constantly area. He is the cosmic opposite of Christmas stress and stress.

Now, when I’m in a Christmas panic of people-pleasing and paranoia, I channel The Dude. The Dude doesn’t stress (I often chant that to myself in difficult times). One of my favorite quotes from the movie is: “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just your opinion, man.” Honestly, it’s the perfect phrase for Christmas: if anyone judges the way you run this mothership, the answer is ready.

So ask yourself: who is your role model at Christmas? And how would they react to Christmas anxiety? Then channel that energy as much as possible when a tense moment arises.

Choose your Christmas rituals wisely

Before I had kids, I hadn’t even heard of “The Elf on the Shelf.” Then I got swept up in it all, only to find that scouring social media for incredibly innovative antics for a naughty toy elf was enough to send me into an anxiety spiral. In addition to having to plan the presents, wrap them, plant a tree and sort the food (with the help of my partner, who is very good at this), I now had to position the elves (we have two) in places different. places around the house before going to bed. For 24 nights!

This lasted through a holiday season, before I decided that the elves were both incredibly lazy. They watch a lot of television. They like to lie on the floor and look at the ceiling. Sometimes they don’t change position at all. ‘Look at those lazy elves!“I proclaim every morning. It doesn’t bother my kids and I’m also less grumpy and overwhelmed.

Make Christmas Holidays Work for You

We all know how busy Christmas can be with social events. The tip is this: don’t commit to parties weeks in advance, because by the time the party rolls around, you’re likely to be a) exhausted b) have things to do c) be socially overwhelmed .

“Come in loud, say hello, make a few gags, then leave without even saying goodbye.”

Instead, try to position yourself as the surprise guest, the one who only agrees to come on the same day. People will be so happy to see you! Next, always remember the phrase “Nothing good happens after 9:30 p.m.”. Come in loud, say hello to everyone, make a few gags, then leave without even saying goodbye. This is called the “French exit” and it is actually a reality.

Keep Food Easy (Unless You Like to Make Difficult Things)

I love complex, difficult to make recipes as much as I love upcoming quarantine recipes, but remember that Christmas Day may not be the time to try something difficult with 30+ different ingredients. Make the meal you’ve made a million times. You should be able to make this meal in your sleep.

During my rock and roll years with Bridget Jones, I was living in a basement studio in London and decided to roast a goose (or my boyfriend decided to do it). No one warned us about the amount of smoke a goose gives off when it’s in the oven. Or how you would feel when the fire alarm kept going off so all the other residents would hate you and your window would be permanently closed for safety reasons.

“Make the meal you’ve made a million times. You should be able to make this meal in your sleep.

Fast forward to the present day, and my kids actually prefer turkey crown and Paxo stuffing to the version my partner makes with ground chestnuts, cranberries, garlic, and onions. Treat all your impromptu guests to Jacob’s Treeselets – fun cheese biscuits shaped like Christmas trees – and Quality Street Chocolate Orange Matchmakers.

Dressing gowns are the new Christmas sweaters

On Christmas Day, we really don’t need to have a style that amplifies stress levels. Instead, I subscribe to a look I’ve named “Bette Midler Relaxing in Her Dressing Room in the 1970s.”

It boils down to this: start with comfortable, good quality underwear. Add some bougie leggings or jogging bottoms, a cute t-shirt and a fabulous dressing gown. The emphasis is on the quality of the dressing gown. It’s not a terrycloth effort with strings hanging from the sleeve (but that’s perfectly fine if it makes you feel good too) – it’s more like a kimono or coat. Something you’d be happy for Harry Styles to see you in if you were both in London looking for a last-minute jar of cranberry sauce.

This look says, “I look fabulous, but I’m also going to enjoy my first nap at 3 p.m.” » This implies that you have closed all those work tabs and are only here for content about joy and relaxation.

Lean towards disaster

Damage happens and things go wrong. This is true in life and certainly true at Christmas. The meal does not go as planned. Your child stuffs a roll of toilet paper down the toilet and you have to call a plumber because it’s stuck in the U-bend. Someone decides to address that long-lost elephant in the room.

A few years ago, I had a particularly difficult Christmas at a relative’s house: everything was going wrong. The mix of protagonists around the table didn’t help – the conversation was stilted with the feeling that at any moment someone was going to unpack an ugly wheelbarrow of unresolved family trauma. Suddenly, my three-year-old daughter started a game of tag with the most “difficult” member of the family. There was nervous laughter around the table. I hoped that immersion in the joy of childhood would lighten the mood. Instead, my daughter accidentally knocked over a stack of antique plates and they broke. There was a deep silence.

“Mess comes and things go wrong. This is true in life and certainly true at Christmas.

Then the awkward atmosphere turned into something that can only be described as relief (we had blown the awkward atmosphere) and sadness (this was not going to be an easy Christmas). I took a deep breath, apologized, vacuumed, and agreed we would leave in the morning. Broken plates? An overcooked meal? Bad gifts? The Dude would say they’re all part of the charm.

Grown-ups don’t need more stuff

I hate how we are forced to buy so many gifts. It’s expensive and we wonder for months how we’re going to be able to pay for everything. I have friends who should buy gifts for their nieces/cousins/first cousins ​​and start shopping in September.

We focus on buying gifts for kids (under 18) and if we want something nice, we buy it ourselves. I love my partner very much, but twice he gave me a pashmina (who wears a pashmina?). I would then buy him a navy blue sweatshirt to add to his collection. Now we don’t care.

Don’t be afraid to ignore all this

My youngest daughter was born three days before Christmas. I could barely sit up without wincing. Simple things like going to the bathroom felt like climbing Mount Everest. We were lucky to have some good friends who invited us to have lunch with them. The highlight was the baby’s umbilical cord falling off and us putting him in a little Tupperware in the freezer (we did this with both kids – I’m sure they’ll appreciate it when they’re older) .

“If you’re navigating something monumental, opt for low-key festivities or just throw it away.”

The baby did not receive any gifts. We somehow forgot and ran out of time. It didn’t bother her and she will have this mummified and frozen umbilical cord when she grows up. My point is, if you’re navigating something monumental, opt for low-key festivities or just throw it out. I really look forward to the days when I’m older, the kids have left the house, and I can binge-watch movies The Real Housewives on Christmas Day.

Sleigh down your own Christmas driveway

The essence of a good “gone” Christmas is to be totally focused on what it means to you, and you alone. If that means eating pigs in blankets for breakfast, so be it. If it’s watching the same movie at the same time every year (AND at 4 p.m., please), then that’s great too. Treat with the same caution as you would as a parent: absorb the advice you need, but ignore the rest.

I have a friend who allows everyone in the family to have their favorite prepared meal as their Christmas lunch. This means less housework and 100% family satisfaction. Does she feel guilty? No! Why should she do it? If someone tells me about plans to rent a mansion in the Cotswolds, cook a 14-course meal and go hiking, I simply put my fingers in my ears and hum “My Way”.

As Frank Sinatra said: “Through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it and spit it out…And I did it my way.” » I can’t think of a more appropriate message for a relaxed Christmas, can you?

---

This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of Red review

---