Bake off is back on the telly and the M&S emails have started. It can only mean one thing is around the corner…Christmas.
I love Christmas and the holiday season but with one child with a November birthday and the other with an early February birthday, the next few months can start to feel like my head is going to explode.
The mental load of Christmas is crazy. With the social calendar ramping up, the presents, the shopping, decorations, and the pressure for everything to be perfect, it can have us craving 2020 cancelled Christmas.
I’ll stop being a Grinch as it doesn’t have to be this way and it doesn’t need to bankrupt you. Spreading the cost of Christmas and consciously shopping for it can help a lot with the mental load.
We have created a checklist to help you prep in November, but here’s the thing - you don’t have to do everything on it! https://parentlist.app/12-ways-to-win-christmas-in-september/
Elf on the shelf
Let’s talk Elf on the shelf. Personally, it’s a “no” from me. I don’t have the time or inclination to move a little naughty elf around our house 24 times. Instagram doesn’t help us in these situations. You will see parents creating elaborate stunts with props and gifts which make you feel guilty you don’t do this. Rest assured, as soon as the advent calendar has been opened and chocolate eaten, elf is long forgotten.
Budgeting for Christmas
Budgeting is key. Christmas can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Have a budget and stick to it. Think about what you already have. Are there things they love you can add to? Is there something they have mentioned non-stop since the day after their birthday?
As you have some time you can search for the best prices. Obviously, there is black Friday, cyber-Monday, and end of season sales. Make sure you aren’t buying things you don’t need because they are a bargain. Where you can, use cashback sites to get a bit of money back on those purchases you do need to make.
Another great way to help with the mental load and make a bit of cash is having a clear out around the end of October. People are starting to look for gifts and where better to look than Facebook marketplace, Vinted or eBay. That pile of Paw Patrol sat in the corner of your room is ready to go and sit in someone else’s house and will give you a bit of money towards Christmas.
There is a lot of pressure to go mad at Christmas, but it isn’t necessary. Christmas is about being with those we love, making memories (again, remember 2020). Just try and relax into the crazy. It won’t all be perfect, but again that is what being with those we love is all about.
Are you suffering from Christmas FOMO?
From the 1st of December it can feel like everyone in the world wants a piece of you. Whether that is carol concerts at school, nursery nativities, work Christmas parties, family trips to the panto, there is always something. It’s really tempting to do everything, and it can be hard to say no. Try not to get FOMO. December is cold and wet and dark. If you want to stay at home, then stay at home. Going out is exhausting and expensive so don’t think you need to say yes to everything.
When it comes to school and nursery, split the commitments with your partner or grandparents, everyone will be happy with this, and it means you are not having to do it all.
The mental load of Christmas
There is a lot going off at Christmas and you might be starting to feel the overwhelm creep in. To help you we have written a checklist with everything that might be adding to your mental load.
Go through the list and tick off what is contributing to it. Once you have done that see what you can do now, delegate to someone else or forget altogether.
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