Working mums’ guide to Christmas

You’ve nearly made it. Christmas is just around the corner. You may be on the floor from work life overdrive, weather-related problems and general burnout,  but you must now muster all your forces for the final hurdle – Christmas Day itself – before you can collapse under a duvet, no doubt with any one of the numerous illnesses doing the rounds.

You may, of course, be one of those people who was on top of Christmas in September. On the other hand, you may be the kind of person who focuses mainly on short-term and emergency planning. To help you through the final steps, Workingmums.co.uk has some tips.

Pace yourself

Don’t overdo things in the run-up to the big day because there will be no time to recover. Ever – not even Boxing Day, unless you get sick and then you will need to recover from that.  And by the teenage years, when no-one gets up till lunchtime, you will find that you are unable to sleep in because you are so out of practice, even though you spend half the night driving people around or worrying about them.

Lists…Lists…Lists

Just like Santa, it’s a good idea to make a list and check it twice. On the list will be everything from filing essential reports and doing xmas card lists for neighbours who have posted a last-minute card through your door.

Lists are also a good idea because you get to tick stuff off. That brings a sense of achievement and some semblance of control, even if for everything you cross off two more things get added. The good news is that you have got through the whole nativity bonanza at school and the card rota for your children’s class and the rest.  Take time to pat yourself on the back because no-one else will and remember, Christmas is best viewed as a month-long diplomatic offensive so that you can build up Brownie points for the next year when you need someone to pick up the kids in a crisis.

Shop Smart

If you have yet to finish – or even begin – your Christmas buying because Christmas has crept up on you unawares due to the snow, the sense of constant crisis and the World Cup, limit all present buying to two or three shops and give yourself a two-hour deadline to get everything done and dusted. You know how much you love doing things against the clock.

Treat Yourself

Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of each and every day at the end of December. The kids have had their advent calendars. You need to find yourself an equivalent for the post-Christmas period. Call it resilience training.

Share Everything

Remember to share everything with your partner, if you have one, because, as High School the Musical put it so aptly, ‘we’re all in this together’. Otherwise, whole months [and even years] could pass and you may even forget who they are. On the bright side, you could then enjoy the whole getting to know you thing all over again.

Things to remember, only at Christmas

Do not on any account invest in cheap shiny wrapping paper because the sellotape won’t stick and you will lose your Yule cool. Remember batteries. When choosing presents, bear in mind assemblage and your own sense of sanity on Christmas Day. Do not buy anything with lots of instructions – you will be too tired to even begin to take them on board and will end up in a corner, rocking gently.

Also, get everyone involved in the cooking. Create a Christmas cooking challenge. Make sure to include washing up in the prize sweepstakes.

Finally,  remember to allow yourself time to recharge after Christmas – if you can – so you can build up the energy to take on all that 2023 has to offer. And once the big day has passed you can start the clock on the countdown to doing it all again next year. Happy Christmas from all of us at Workingmums.co.uk!

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