Christmas has become all about gifts, and feasting with family and friends. And in our southern hemisphere it signifies the summer holidays (Yay!).
But for many, Christmas is a painful time. It can be a time of heightened awareness of who is missing, what we lack, or long for. It also becomes a period of increased pressure to perform; from buying the right gifts, preparing the best feast, providing great hospitality, through to being included in and attending all those events, while keeping up with all the usual daily tasks….
We’re bombarded with sales and advertising in our letterboxes, on our screens, and throughout shops. It’s so easy to get caught up in the consumerist trap and wind up in terrible debt, as well as physically exhausted from the frantic rush. We can also get sucked into having expectations about the “perfect” Christmas.
During this crazy season, focus on what you can influence and gain back some control:
Budget - Set yourself a practical budget for gifts and entertainment costs, and do your best to stick to that. If you can involve others in that plan, like your partner, you can help each other to achieve that goal.
Plan Relaxation - Try to plan “down” times for yourself, doing what helps you to relax, in between the busy-ness, especially if you are an introvert who needs regular doses of alone time. Simple exercise and fresh air can help you relax and sleep better. It’s a good idea to turn off your phone for these periods of time, so you can enjoy being in the moment.
Write Lists - while daunting to see everything in black and white before you, lists can be really helpful in breaking everything up into manageable tasks. It also frees your mind from trying to contain it all – especially if you wake in the night feeling panicked.
Delegate - Share responsibilities with others where you can. The “success of Christmas” is not all up to you!
Share Catering - Make Christmas day entertaining a shared responsibility, each contributing food. Try to provide eats that can be prepared in advance, so there’s less rush on the day and more opportunity to enjoy the company and celebration.
Simplicity - Remember to enjoy and appreciate those little things of daily life in the meantime. Just seeing my lawn freshly mowed fills me with joy!
Gift Ideas
Here’s some creative ways to take the pressure off buying presents, during a busy December:
– Make a simple voucher offering a service/gift of choice to the receiver which can be claimed in the new year, e.g. “I/we will clean, wax & vacuum your car twice”, or for a family “bearers entitled to a tasty dinner & free entertainment in our home”….
– As a family, or families, randomly choose just one person each to buy for, and have fun selecting something special for them.
– Agree to buy each other gifts to the value of, say, $5. It’s surprising what creative fun can be had with this (both buying & giving), as my family have experienced first-hand.
– Co-purchase a gift with someone, so you can get something together that’ll be valued.
– Make a large batch of relish, sweets, or baking as gifts. You can even get family members to design labels, or gift tags.
– Christmas is a special time of wonder for children. Keep them busy and involved by making simple gifts that don’t need too much supervision from you. There are some good ideas on Pinterest, or https://rhythmsofplay.com/beautiful-gifts-kids-can-make/
– Pick up appealing treats (bargains) at Christmas markets, held at schools and other centres around Wellington, e.g. the Craft Central Pop-up shop at 100 Courtenay Place.
– Stressed out about what to buy? Encourage family or friends to forego buying each other Christmas presents and donate to someone in need instead, e.g. give money to a reliable local, or international, organisation that will provide people with educational materials, or drinking water....
Finally, the greatest gift of all is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour - the expression of God’s extravagant love to us all.
In all our activity, let’s not forget he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
And if you own rental property, cast off all your management hassles and let our team at Dominion Property Management take care of them for you.
Meri Kirihimete!
(Merry Christmas!)
