Christmas comes but once a year, so it makes sense to try to conjure up a truly special day for your family. Unfortunately, between the last minute panic shopping and the roast dinner stress-out, some of us spend more time worrying than we do enjoying this supposedly festive day. If you’ve had a few bad holiday seasons in a row and want to recapture that holiday spirit, follow these 7 tips.

 

1. Add a personal touch to your décor. Getting your house all dressed up for the holidays is definitely part of the fun, but you’ll create more of a magical feeling if you add a personal touch to your holiday décor this year. Stay away from the generic options and use personalised christmas decoration items instead. Kids will especially love having their own personal stockings and bedroom features, so stock up before the holiday season rolls around.

2. Start shopping early. If you keep running out at the last minute to buy your gifts and end up spending more than you meant to, it’s definitely time to mix things up this year by shopping early. This will give you a chance to scout out the best deals, look for sale items, and make sure you’ve got everything wrapped and ready under the tree long before the big day. This way, you can truly relax and unwind once Christmas arrives.

3. Pre-make some of your roast dinner. Not everyone opts for the traditional roast dinner on Christmas day, but if you do, you may find that it causes more stress than joy. Take some of the hassle out of your Christmas morning cooking by pre-making particular aspects in advance and then freezing them to be heated up on the day. You can also buy certain elements, like desserts and gravy, from the supermarket, to give you more time to focus on the more important things.

4. Leave the experimentation for later. Christmas isn’t the time to try your hand at cooking a new and complicated dish. Stick with the old favourites and leave experimental cooking for the new year, otherwise you’ll spend all day sweating in the kitchen instead of enjoying the special time with your family.

5. Hold a crafting session. The whole family can get involved when it comes to decorating the home and the tree for Christmas. Devote one weekend to holiday arts and crafts – let the kids make their own wreaths, tree decorations, and snowflake chains so they can fill the home with Christmas cheer.

6. Make a Christmas cocktail. There’s no better day to sip on some drinks and make merry. If you’re having adult guests over for the holidays, mix up a festive punch instead of sticking with the same old bottle of wine you normally serve. Sparkling wine mixed with juice and liqueur usually goes down well.

7. Make a movie list. If your family loves to sit back and watch holiday films on Christmas day, make a list of everyone’s favourite and plan a time slot for each choice. Make sure you leave time in between for lunch, dips in the pool, and holiday board games to keep the little ones from getting bored. Let everyone pick a favourite festive activity, and get stuck in together.