A thousand mothers across the UK and Ireland were asked about pressure they feel at ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. Over half said they are actively dreading Christmas, while 72 per cent said that their mental health is at its worst during the festive period.
We want to alter this grim picture. Here is our handy guide to surviving and thriving this Christmas.
Plan, Plan And Plan Again
It goes without saying that to-do lists and online supermarket shops are the Christmas hostess’s very best friends. This year, keep all of your lists, dates and musings in check in one beautiful place, with the Large OrganiseHer Diary 2025 from Organise Us. These beautifully designed diaries have ample room for list-making and note-taking and will set you up perfectly for a streamlined Christmas and a productive new year.
Get Up Ahead Of The Masses
Much has been written about the life-changing magic of joining The 5am Club. The idea, based on Robin Sharma’s book of that name, is that the people who rise at dawn are healthier, happier and more productive than the rest of us. It may seem a tall order most of the time but if you do it when your house is full this Christmas, you will feel you have won the day before it’s even begun.
Banish The Booze
Everything – including a 5am wake-up call, will be easier to manage without the thick head begotten by a night on the sauce. There are loads of ways to make drinking feel festive without actually drinking. The best of these is the non-alcoholic aperitif, Mother Root. Add ginger ale or soda water and some fresh lime to this healthful tincture and wait for your mind to be blown.
Establish A Glass-Identification System
There is nothing more annoying as a host or hostess than guests who use multiple wine glasses throughout the day. Avoid this pitfall by giving everybody a label with their name on, like the ones at by Lisa Angel at Not on the High Street. Your guests may roar (with laughter) but your heart will soar.
Make The Most Of Mother Nature’s Fridge
Another pinch point in a large family Christmas is limited fridge space. How to keep the ham, the turkey, the vegetables, the cheese and all those endless drinks cold? The answer is: in the great outdoors. Invest in a few of these durable, lidded boxes from A Place For Everything and keep your fruit, drinks and veg cold and out of the way in them behind the back door.
Take Time Out With A Podcast
Whether you are cooking, unloading the dishwasher or furtively wrapping forgotten presents in your bedroom, it can be very uplifting to do so with a podcast as a soundtrack. A brilliant choice is The Calm Christmas, hosted by best-selling self-help author Beth Kempton. Thoughtful, peaceful and relevant, this seasonal series meets you just where you are.
Sleep Like A Dream
All of the above will be more effective on the back of an excellent night’s sleep. This isn’t easy to come by, least of all when the house is full of revelry at Christmastime, but keeping a pot of Sweet Bee Organic’s Magnesium Butter by your bed is a giant leap in the right direction.
