Are you dreading Christmas. Is it the ghastly build-up and the knowledge that however nice our Christmases are, they're unlikely to live up to the standard presented by the media?
Christmas can be a very stressful time of year. So much to do, so little time to do it in. There could well be expectations building within you to create a wonderful Christmas with presents and perhaps the most important meal of the year. But for every warm and fuzzy moment, theres another one of sheer panic and meltdown.
Some people get so frazzled that they actually rate Christmas as being more stressful than divorce or being burgled! Holly, robins, snowmen or anything Christmassy can get even the most laid back people behaving like a prima donna going off on a big one. Don't let the festive season get you down: follow the coping tips and advice you find here, relax and enjoy yourself after all, its only one day a year.
1. THE IN-LAWS
Dealing with in-laws tops our list of most stressful holiday scenarios.
Are you blessed with a visiting mother-in-law who just cant help dragging a finger across every surface? The house doesnt have to look picture perfect, so dont sweat the small stuff like cleaning and dusting. Pretty candles and nice decorations can hide a host of housework sins.
To be on the safe side find a way to distract the over critical, hyperactive, not-good-enough-for-my-little-darling MIL. Ask your in-laws to bring around old family photo albums this will keep everyone amused for hours and the worst that youll suffer is terminal boredom. Its also a great way to stop your mother-in-law taking over in the kitchen.
How about your beloved, but rarely vertical at Christmas father-in-law? Does he drain all the red wine, getting mullered before it's even properly mulled? Then find something time-consuming but undemanding to keep him busy - like setting the table.
2. SHOPPING
Wrestling through the shopping crowds at Christmas is a sure fire way to have a total stress-fest meltdown.
Start making a list of things you need to do for Christmas early, very early: for example, shopping for food and presents, decorations, seating plans or travel arrangements. Make the list as detailed as possible, include peoples phone numbers or email addresses to make contacting them simpler. Plan, plan and plan. Then when every detail has been mapped, flow-charted and project managed plan some more.
When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask people what they want up front it may not be a surprise but theyll get what they want and save you the stress of thinking up ideas, or the chore of post-Xmas returns.
If you think you may have unexpected guests or have simply forgotten someone (your child minders third cousin for instance), then buy a few neutral gifts store vouchers, foodie things, candles, yummy drinks that would be well received by anyone and can be kept as a stand by.
Save time, shop online. Thats a nice, easy to remember mantra; just make sure to do it nice and early to avoid panicked Christmas Eve telephone calls/personal visits to obscure business locations your sat nav will never find.
3. FAMILY ROWS
Thrusting family and friends together in an atmosphere of enforced jollity can be a ticking time bomb. The old army maxim: If it moves salute it, if it doesnt paint it, could have been invented for family Christmas gatherings. They cant fight if you keep them all busy - suggest walks, allot chores and get people joining in and helping.
Have a 'Great Escape' Plan! It's a good idea to have some pre-planned excuses to escape from proceedings if they get too stressful. Practice breathing. Breathe in deeply through your nose, hold for 15 or 20 seconds and then breathe slowly out through your mouth, repeat for a few minutes to instantly help reduce stressful feelings.
Be imaginative and use things such as leaving the room to make a phone-call to a friend or perhaps checking on a neighbour. Just by having planned a couple of escape routes youll probably feel less stressed anyway but actually leaving the situation, even for 10 minutes, will help clear your mind and relax you.
Plan ahead so that, if the worst happens, you can channel conflict - plan ahead with games, activities, old movies, anything to keep people amused and occupied. After all, if two sides were willing to stop fighting and have a kick-about in no mans land a hundred years ago, then it should be easy enough to keep the peace in your front room for a few hours.
Do NOT head to the alcohol cabinet (as tempting as it may be) thats just throwing petrol on the flames.
4. CHOOSING/FITTING INTO PARTY OUTFIT
The office Christmas party is a chance for you to let loose and reward yourself after a year of hard work. But finding the right outfit, that says professional and party, can be tricky.
With the calorie intake your body is facing it pays to prepare by shedding a little excess weight, firm up slack muscles, overhaul your posture and get your body firing on all cylinders (ridding yourself of sluggish digestion, bloating, poor circulation and flagging energy levels).
Not only will you look and feel great in your party outfit, you will also kick-start your fitness for the New Year and minimize Christmas weight gain.
But youll be glad to hear that, providing you are willing to put in some effort, there is still time to ensure you'll be able to get into your party dress for Christmas.
Opt for cool classic comfort over corseted high maintenance styles if you want to enjoy the party season in style. Keep the agony of killer heels to a minimum with foldaway party pumps for that sharp exit, taxi shortages and the dreaded long walk home.
If your budget wont stretch to full party outfit invest in some wild and funky accessories for an instant wardrobe makeover.
5. BEING AWAY FROM HOME
If you are lucky, very lucky, you may get to spend Christmas away from home and let some other sucker do all the worrying and work. Its lovely not having to do all the cooking, but celebrating the holidays away from home brings its own stressful situations. What if you dont like the food, or feel trapped? Wonderful presents, culinary disasters, family rows, epic parties and legendary hangovers: you have no control over the good times or the bad.
If there is one thing you can control it is your food and drink intake. With all the rich foods on offer, try to make informed choices and opt for salads, lean meats, fish and light sauces to keep the holiday pounds from piling on. And if you know you will be eating rich and heavy meals in advance try to compensate for your other meal times with smoothies, soups and salads.
But for those of you who just cant face this time of the year, when Slade infect every public space on a never ending loop, and you feel that Christmas is a grim farrago of fake bonhomie, mindless consumerism and gluttony, we have a few words of comfort.
Bah, and furthermore, humbug and a very Merry Christmas to you all