How to Organize a Stress Free Christmas

5 Tips for a stress free, relaxing Christmas.....it is possible!

Too many people I know, and probably many of you as well, do too much leading up to Christmas, and especially on the actual day. That's not what Christmas is supposed to be about, so start to make a few changes this year and a few more the next year and so on, and see if you can do something to change that!

1. Think about sharing the Christmas food preparation each year - for those of you who spread around the location of your Christmas celebration, so that the person who has it a particular year doesn't dread their turn!! Organise everyone to each take a couple of dishes to ease the burden.

2. Think about the actual food that you prepare for Christmas day - is it really necessary to have the whole kit and caboodle with all the trimmings!? Especially considering that the tradition of a hot meal comes from the English, whose Christmas day is during winter. Doesn't make sense does it!!

3. Be Realistic - I'm not suggesting you ditch the whole Christmas lunch that everyone is used to, just make a few small changes to the meal selection. Some alternatives could be pre-bought cold turkey and/or seafood to cook on the BBQ.

4. Expect a little opposition - Obviously some family members, who may not have had to help much with Chrsitmas preparations in the past, may not like this idea but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to make some changes to help you enjoy the day more - particularly if you are the main person who does the food preparation. You should have a pretty major say if you are; don't you think!?

5. Stand firm and keep your main goal in mind when making these suggestions - remembering that all you want is to spread the workload around a bit for a more relaxing stressfree Christmas.

My family has been through the above already, and although it took some family members a little while to 'come around' to the new Christmas idea, once implemented, they are used to it, and it now feels completely normal, as if we have always done it this way.

Admittedly, the initial reaction was no way, but eventually this turned into a maybe, and then OK we'll try it 'just this year' and see how it goes - to having a much easier Christmas Day lunch every year since. It was definitely worth the effort as there is now less stress on the day, and it is therefore more enjoyable for everyone. Just remember you may need quite a bit of patience with this one!!

Christmas Traditions can be ingrained very deeply and can take a while to alter. So even though there may be opposition to these sorts of changes and some people may disapprove, decide what is right for you and take it from there. Good Luck and Merry Christmas

Claire McFee
co Creator - Organize Your Life Organizers