How to Have Your Most Enjoyable Christmas Ever
It is Christmas time again, that time of year when the birds are singing, the kids are out of school, everyone is planning get-togethers with family and friends, joy is in the air and everything gets cheery.
With all of this amazing stuff going on, there is a great chance that you don’t feel much in the holiday mood. Part of this is because Christmas can place a lot of stress on us. We feel the need to shop until we drop, and have everything perfect or we just can’t get happy.
Well part of this is because of our expectations for the holiday being too high and the other part is that we are missing what the day season is supposed to be about. Christmas is about celebrating our lives, our time together and that we are each blessed to have life. So take the stress out of holiday shopping like at Liverpool One and focus on the things that matter.
So here are some tips for you to find your peace and great feelings during the wonderful Christmas holiday season.
Keep a Happy Attitude
You should expect that much of what you plan will not go as planned. People will be late or not show up. The meal will not be the way you had hoped. That less than favorite Uncle will in fact insult someone at dinner causing an uproar. And you will forget to get at least one person a gift. Knowing all of this, you need to take a step back and be prepared to let it all pass without judgment or strife. Just do your best and let that be good enough. And have the same attitude about others.
Do Not Go Into Debt
Almost half of the presents during the year are purchase between the middle of November and the end of December. This is totally attributable to the pressure of people feeling they need to purchase Christmas gifts. The flip side of these practices is that people go into debt from these purchases at least until next Christmas when they do the same things all over again. You should only buy those things that you can pay off immediately or very quickly. A great practice is to leave the credit cards at home and only take cash shopping. If you are purchasing online. Put only the amount you can spend in your Paypal account and only purchase with Paypal. With this approach, you will love yourself in January and February.
Don’t Spend All Day Cooking
Usually someone gets stuck spending one or more days cooking for the family. That same person has to then clean up this huge mess after everyone is too stuffed to help. If this person is you, you are probably not too happy to know it is about to happen again. One great idea is to assign different food items to different people who will attend. Take turns rotating items each year so no one gets stuck having to pay for and cook the turkey or ham every year. Same with cleaning, give everyone a designated cleaning job before they eat.
Perhaps an even better idea is to eat out on Christmas. There are restaurants that provide great Christmas dinners relieving you from having to cook or clean. For example, if you live in or near Liverpool England, a great place to go for a holiday meals is Liverpool One. The contemporary open air entertainment and shopping complex has dozens of great restaurants where you can choose the type of Christmas meal you want. You can invite the entire family and everyone can have exactly what they want to eat. And best of all, there is a an indoor adventure golf course as well as a Green Flag accredited five-acre park where you can work off some of the extra calories from stuffing yourself.
Don’t Forget the True Meaning of Christmas
Finally, remember why the holiday has become so important. First, it is the birthday of Jesus who told us to love and forgive one another, and as importantly it is for us to enjoy time with our loved ones. With these things at the forefront, everything else is secondary. Focus on this and you will have a great holiday. Merry Christmas! And #GetChristmassy
