Okay, the run-up to Christmas is a frantic time for most of us – both at work and at home – so let’s get straight to the point! How do we enjoy a stress free Christmas?
We need to keep the time we spend cooking, shopping, tidying and wrapping up to a minimum so that we can actually relax when Christmas comes. We don’t want to be too exhausted to enjoy ourselves on the day. So, follow my quick-and-easy guide to Christmas. You’d be bonkers not to!
Tip Number 1: Declutter
Choosing some of our rare-breed sheepskin furnishings, such as our beautiful Éclair Sheepskin Benches, in completely natural colours, would add a calming, comforting effect, while brightening up a room with an Uber Pouffe in Fuchsia or Lilac, for example, would provide an energising buzz. At Baa Stool, we can provide sheepskin in all of the following autumn colours: Pumpkin Spice, Sage, Teal, Chocolate and Aubergine. So, get creative with colour – and with sheepskin – and create the effect that’s right for you.
Tip number 2: Speedy Wrap
Gift bags can be used over and over again, whereas wrapping paper easily rips and is difficult to reuse. So, buy in a selection of different-sized gift bags and put all of your presents into these. A simple clip on the top will stop people seeing what’s inside. Gift bags are time-saving (no Sellotape and scissors!), easy-to-use alternatives that will also benefit the environment.
Tip number 3: Ditch The Cards
How many hours, or even days, do you spend writing your Christmas cards each year? Not only does this consume oodles of precious time, but cards are really not great for the environment – not just in terms of the number of trees needed to produce them, but in the carbon footprint required to deliver them to your local and far-flung friends (and stamps are really expensive!). There’s a great choice of electronic cards available these days, so why not have a browse online? If you set it up right, you can add all of your friends’ and family’s email addresses and send their Christmas cards to them within a few minutes.
Tip number 4: Go Quality
There’s nothing more frustrating than opening a box of broken Christmas decorations. So invest in some beautiful, well-made Christmas decorations, and ornaments that you’ll be able to bring out year after year. Go minimalistic. Less is more. We have some baaeautiful decoration ideas.
Tip number 5 – Shop Early
Being an earlybird Christmas shopper is probably the only way to avoid the shopping stress and the rush in the shops. In my dreams, I buy gifts throughout the year, spreading out the cost, and finding the perfect gift for each person. It never happens, but I do like to support other small businesses and shop as early as I can.
Tip number 6 – Lists
Not the one that goes to Santa, but I am a big list person! My mind gets so full of all the things I need to do that I have to write everything down. My top lists before Christmas include: a gift list (what I need to buy and for whom), a food shopping list (a list of the food that can be bought in advance and a list of the fresh groceries that will need to be bought closer to the time), a work to-do list (never-ending), and a cleaning the house to-do list would be a nice to have. That’s a lot of lists, but it makes me feel in control and it saves me getting in a complete muddle!
Tip number 7 – Hiding Places
Make sure you have some good hiding places in your house! Not for you – at least not yet! You’ll need to hide your presents away from prying eyes, and you’ll need to hide some of those luxury food items away from prying fingers (or you’ll just have to make or buy them all over again). If you have someone who likes to secretly help themselves to your homemade truffles and boxes of chocs, this tip isn’t a great time saver, but it’s worth every moment it takes! Wash and peel some sprouts then dip them in melted chocolate and arrange them in little paper liners or on a pretty, doily-covered plate. They look just like the real thing, but wait until you see the reaction they get! You’ll soon know who the thief is!
Tip number 8 – Trimmings
If you like to make all the Christmas trimmings yourself, remember that the freezer is your friend. Whether it’s bread sauce, apple sauce, Yorkshire puds, stuffing or pigs in blankets, all of these things can be prepared well in advance and placed in the freezer. They don’t take long to defrost; just take them out of the freezer on Christmas Eve, and Bob’s your uncle (or maybe he isn’t)!
Tip number 9 – Share
How to enjoy a stress free Christmas is about making sure you share out all the jobs that need to be done for the big Day. Ask family members to prepare the veggies on Christmas Eve (you don’t have to do this alone!) and leave the sprouts, carrots and spuds to soak in pans of water overnight. Then arrange a time when everyone is happy to eat on Christmas Day that doesn’t involve you getting up at 6.45am to put the turkey in the oven. If everyone is content to eat later in the day, you get to have a lie-in as well! Of course, the alternative is to set the timer on the cooker, so it comes on automatically. You need to look after yourself too.
Tip number 10 – Surprise
Talking of lie-ins, if you have very young children, there will be no such thing as a lie-in on Christmas Day – not for years to come! The prospect of Santa arriving is far too exciting for little ones. However, if your sons and daughters are teenagers or even adults, I’d recommend doing the following (even if it does briefly disturb your night’s sleep). Set your alarm for 5.30am and go rushing into their bedrooms, shouting, “He’s been! He’s been!” Enjoy seeing the shock on their faces and their exhaustion the following day. You may even get a while longer in bed on Christmas morning as a result. Call it revenge for years of early-morning wake-ups on Christmas Day!
