19 Ways on how to avoid the Christmas Rush

The festive season can be stressful as well as fun. Having to deal with family needs, the juggle of winding up the year at work, celebrating with colleagues and friends, and shopping for gifts can be overwhelming. Some people enjoy the excitement of fighting your way through the crowd to find that perfect Christmas gift or grab that cheap deal they had been waiting for but you do not have to go through that stress if you set about it early.

Here are some suggestions on how to maximise your enjoyment of this lovely time of year. All it takes is some self-care, preparation and perspective.

1. Keep decorations simple this year, and feel free to borrow from nature.

2. Delegate and outsource cleaning jobs wherever possible in the lead-up to Christmas, children included.

3. Do your Christmas shopping online and have the gifts delivered to avoid crowd.

4. Give experiences, not things –a trip to the zoo, and other outings your loved ones would value.

5. Spend time on things that matter most

6. Don’t go overboard on quantity.

7. Don’t leave the Christmas menu until the last minute. Decide on a selection of dishes and stick to it.

8. Make whatever you can ahead of time.

9. Make a shopping list and get what you can now. Make a deadline for your shopping. This saves you time and money and you will thank yourself for this when the rush comes in.

10. Keep mostly to tried-and-true recipes you know will work. A failed cooking experiment the day people are coming over for lunch is stressful.

11. Take a moment to appreciate the ones you love, and give them your full attention.

12. Buy yourself a new book now to read in the downtime you carve out for yourself between now and Christmas.

13. Try to ignore seasonal obligations, just for this year. Maybe you could stay at home and celebrate with close family or friend as opposed to going to many veneus to hang out in one day.

14. Keep meals simple in the lead-up to Christmas, keep your food easy and nutritious to keep you feeling good.

15. Give yourself a present to acknowledge how far you have come this year. Also list down all the people you are planning to give a Christmas present to. Maintain a list that you just revise and add to each year.

16. Check your drink supplies, replenish with more than you are likely to need.

17. Plan your outfits for upcoming gatherings to save time and panic on the day.

18. Don’t spend more than you can afford on presents – keep a tally and stick to your budget.

19. Take Christmas Eve off and stay home. You do not want to get into traffic on a day people are out to get their last minute purchases. Take a few deep breaths, and mentally prepare for the big day.