I read the other day that the average mum spends 51 hours preparing for the big day. The big day? You know Christmas Day. I use to think that it was just when the kids were young that the preparations took so long but I am fast learning this isn’t true. The older the children get and less they believe in Christmas (well actually they don’t believe at all) the more I try and put the magic into it all. But with all this preparing it is ok to enlist help, share the work load out and cheat a bit.
Share the Load – choose which is most age appropriate and fits in with you and then get the children crafting. Card, glitter, glue and last year’s Christmas cards and they can make place cards for the table, cards and gift tags. Keeps the children busy and useful.
Batteries – I will never live down the year I completely forgot to get batteries for the kids’ presents. I spent most of the day hunting out batteries from TV remotes and anything else I could think of. I now delegate the battery list compiling to any available male. They seem to like the fact they have something useful to do and then something to moan about too.
Spare Present or Two – You never know who might call in and surprise you with a present. If you can, get in a spare present or two just in case. Joules range of gorgeous diaries would always go down well and would work for most ages. Plus if you don’t use them you have an extra pressy for someone or yourself.
Readymade – there is nothing wrong with cheating. Be it getting someone else to cook and make the Christmas cake or even buying it from a supermarket. Just don’t beat yourself up over it as I bet you not everyone does everything from scratch and if they did they would probably sleep through the actual day from exhaustion. And if anyone says is there anything they can do, don’t say its fine – give them something to do. Christmas isn’t the season to do it all.
Lastly it looks like we will be getting some bad weather so don those wellies and warm quilted jackets like the lovely Joules range of jackets and get out there for a walk. Blow the cobwebs away. Enjoy the outdoors with the kids as they hunt for fir cones to decorate ( another craft they can do to keep them busy).
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