Having survived what has been undoubtedly another crazy, stressful year, we are all ready to celebrate! What better excuse is there than Christmas to shake off the routine, down tools and get some much-needed rest and relaxation?
Stepping off life’s treadmill at Christmas is the perfect time to reflect on what we really want. Forget the fluffy socks and perfume, the real gifts we women really want this Christmas don’t cost a penny and the benefits will last a lifetime.
So, it’s time to start making your list and checking it twice – and remember to put these special gifts to yourself on there:
- You are not actually Santa Claus!
Santa Claus is a magical, imaginary character who lives in the North Pole, has elves as best friends and climbs down chimneys -so why then do you we try to BE him at Christmas? While we all love making Christmas extra special for our families, we need to realise that, unlike Santa, we can’t do the impossible so stop trying to!
Putting pressure on ourselves to create the ‘perfect’ Christmas is one way to guarantee you will be miserable and burnt out by the time the big day arrives. So, as you aren’t in fact a big man with the white beard and magical powers, it’s time to get real and realise that your budget is not unlimited, some presents may not arrive on time and you are not Nigella in the kitchen!
- You don’t need others to make you feel valued.
Many of us continue to work from home while managing to run the logistics of family life. This has resulted in our work and home lives colliding, forcing us to effectively do two full time jobs at the same time. While we want to feel that all our efforts are appreciated and not taken for granted by our families, more importantly we need to take time to congratulate ourselves on what a great job we do and give ourselves a massive pat on the back for trying our best every day – and not just on Christmas Day.
- To plan some (guilt-free) me-time.
We need to realise that we don’t ever need an excuse or permission to have some time out. Having some time for ourselves, particularly over Christmas, is one of the most important elements of self-care for women – simple things like escaping from the hustle and bustle and taking a long walk or bath can improve our overall feeling of wellbeing and it may even save the day.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup – so taking some time out for yourself will not only benefit you, but the whole family as you’ll emerge refreshed, relaxed and ready for the next shift.
- Not to believe everything you see with your own eyes.
From at least the beginning of December, promise yourself that you will not believe everything you see or read on social media.
Christmas can bring out the worst in some women hellbent on winning the Best Family Christmas Awards. You know the ones – drinking eggnog around an open fire, all dressed in matching pjs with hand-knitted stockings dressing the fireplace. Meantime you feel like a ‘failure’ running round like a headless chicken until 4am on Christmas morning, realising you’ve forgotten to order the turkey and wrap the presents. Don’t even begin to compare yourself with the picture-perfect set as chances are they’ve just taken 2 minutes out of the madness to take the perfect family photo – and chances are that they probably don’t like eggnog anyhow.
- Christmas isn’t just for kids.
After all we’ve been through recently, it is so important to plan to have fun. While planning to have fun sounds like a contradiction, it is often the case that we get so caught up in the shopping, the present wrapping, the cooking and the refereeing of fighting children that we forget to make time for fun and whatever that means to us. And that’s the point, do you even remember what fun meant to you before kids, mortgages and life took over? We need to set time aside to do the things we enjoy. To laugh, smile and feel happy is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and it really will do our hearts good.
Be sure to make time for fun in your life – fun is for life, not just for Christmas!
May your Christmas sparkle – just like you!
