How to relax at Christmas. Any advice?

[ShreddShreddShredd]

I love Christmas & always have these idyllic thoughts of lounging on the sofa eating chocolate & long walks with the DH but realistically I spend it unable to relax thinking about the housework that's piling up & how much weight I'm going to have to lose in January after too many pigs in blankets. Any advice on how I can relax? 🎅 xx

Gin?

Lol 😂 ... good idea ... not keen on gin but do enjoy a glass of wine 🍷 ... do you manage to chill out over Christmas without worrying about the mundane stuff? Eg the housework? xx

I get as much done before xmas day as possible. Then, on xmas day I am not bothered - we are always away boxing day returning the day after. I do the washing and kitchen but the rest not bothered about. I don't eat excessively over xmas just because it is xmas. Just treat it like an extended weekend!

I love relaxing on the sofa with a cup of wine. On Christmas Day we have a rule, all housework will be done the following day.

True story. My mum once asked the vicar, in their tiny, rural, conservative Warwickshire village, something similar.

Mum - "I love Christmas morning. So relaxed and joyful. How do you maintain that feeling throughout the day?"

Vicar - "Marijuana."

Good advice. Thanks for that ☺ xx

Practice!
The housework piles up here all year round so I’m now quite immune to caring. I can also recommend removing the fuse for the overhead lights and losing your glasses. Stick tinsel and fairy lights on anything unsightly including the dishes.

Not sure drugs is the answer I'm looking for but thanks for that lol 😂 xx

Being organised before the day

Delegating

Foil trays

Tidy as you go but don’t go mad

I blitz my house a few days before so there is no housework to do other than cooking and generally putting dishes in the dishwasher. We always cook a turkey xmas eve so we just have the veggies to do.

What housework do you worry about?

Serious decluttering before Xmas so there is space for new tat. Clean house before thoroughly.
Split tasks up and get everyone dc and up cleaning and tidying.
Accept house with trees, guests and new stuff will feel more untidy than a usual house.

Joking aside, I’ve learned to be quite firm with myself about negative thoughts and anxieties so when I find myself stressing I check if I can do something about it now and if not, then I mentally assign a time to deal with it, literally saying “I’ll think about that tomorrow at 9 once the dc are in school”
It helps enormously.

Also keeping a bullet journal has opened my eyes to how much or how little I can actually get done in a given time. I’m more accepting of my limitations and now tend to judge myself positively for what I’ve got done, instead of negatively against a high standard of what I think I should get done iyswim
And it helps me prioritize so that I’m doing the right job at a given time. On Christmas Day, the right job is chilling on the sofa and hanging out with the dc building lego

It's the one time of year I relax without any guilt . The run up to Christmas is very busy . I cook Christmas Day but that's it then I have a few days relaxing in my pjs eating and drinking, I still do the usual cooking , cleaning and washing but I'm not rushing around trying to fit it in . If I have a few days off in the year I'm usually getting stuff done so I don't feel guilty watching rubbish tv and eating it's a well deserved rest .

Thankyou everyone ☺

I think you are right. I need to pat myself on the back for everything I have done rather that stressing at a time I should be relaxing worrying about things that can wait. I'll try & be more strict and remember the house won't fall down if everywhere isn't as clean & tidy as it normally is. So silly really but the house not being in order makes me so anxious. I spent last Christmas stressing because the garage was piled up with boxes & it was driving me crazy.

I appreciate all your advice 🎅 xx

Sounds like housework and clutter is stressing you out in general? Is the house actually that bad?

would recommend a cleaner if you can afford it! And decluttering, good threads on it on here.

Hi Loopytiles, you're right housework/clutter does stress me out generally but I just crack on with it. It just gets me down at Christmas when I want to be relaxing with my DH rather than worrying about housework. I just don't know how to switch off & properly relax. I'm one of those who can't sit down til I feel everywhere is clean & tidy. Obviously at Christmas this isn't always going to happen. I'll figure it out. Xx

Maybe it would sound silly, but why not go for a massage?:D why not? When I was in Kiev, I ordered an body erotic massage. It was cool, so why not find a Christmas-style erotic massage? Very funny?

I don't do housework at Christmas?

I do go to the gym for half an hour on every day it is open, that way I can kinda eat all the sausages and not worry.

I let Dc play on electronics a lot and I just sit on the sofa with my new books. I am really really good at relaxing though, not everyone is as gifted Like I got that book of hygge and thought, yeah I'm already doing that.
I think

--I think I'm part cat!