This Christmas has felt a little different for me and I shared a little bit about why that was a few weeks ago so I’ll not bore you with that again.
(You can read my post here if you want to though)
I wanted to be really intentional this year and to enjoy the build up to Christmas without putting any pressure on myself to make everything perfect – in the past I’ve stressed out over everything from advent calendars to days out and from finding the perfect presents for everyone to presenting the perfect Christmas dinner.
There was no way I was putting myself through all of that again this year after the last few months so I sat down, at the end of October would you believe, and really thought about Christmas and what I wanted the month of December to look like for me how I was going to achieve that.
I’m not saying I wrote a list of what I would and wouldn’t do but what I did do, is make a decision that December was going to be a very calm month for me. Focusing on that, made me think about the things in the past that I’ve found stressful and that helped me to understand what I didn’t want and I was able to really clearly understand that I wanted to really slow down December and then think of a few ways to do it.
I have no idea if that made sense to anyone but me but I hope it did.😁
Here’s a couple of the things I’ve learned by slowing down and being more intentional this month…
Slower days make room for better moments
When you stop rushing, you start noticing the little things.
The smell of cinnamon in the kitchen, the sparkling of the tree lights, the laughter that comes from playing a daft board game after tea – those moments are what Christmas is really about, and they shine much brighter when you’re not distracted by a to-do list.
Give meaningful gifts
We always have a budget to spend on each of the kids and we really used that budget well this year I think. We were determined that none of the presents we bought would be ‘fillers’ and that they would all be meaningful and useful and I think we achieved that for the most part. There was definitely some in there for fun though as it wouldn’t be Christmas without the odd random present, would it?
We did spend less on each other than we usually would and as is our tradition (two years in a row makes it a tradition, right?), we decided not to buy an actual gift but to spend the money on an experience together which was so lovely.
Rest is part of the magic
There’s something lovely about having time to just sit with a hot chocolate, watch a film, or even have an early night. I actually went to be one night last week at 7pm and just watched random Christmas movies in bed until I went to sleep and I loved it!
I used to feel guilty for doing nothing and until recently, it’s been a real struggle for me to just relax as I always want to be on the go. I tell myself that life’s too short not to fit in as much as I can every day but this last few months I realised that slowing down is a good thing so I’ve put that into practice this month.
You don’t need to say yes to everything
It’s so easy to fill December with plans – parties, visits, events – until every weekend is a blur. This year I only said yes to the things that truly felt right, and it made such a difference to me. I said no to the things I didn’t want to do and because I’d thought about it and I knew there were going to be invites that I would want to decline, I actually had a few excuses that I was ready to go with,
I know you might be rolling your eyes and muttering that I should just have the conviction to say no and I know you’re right but I’m a people pleaser and it made me feel better to have an excuse ready to go so to me, it was worth it as part of me being kind to myself.
When you stop saying yes out of obligation, you make space for the things that really matter.
Memories don’t cost money
The best memories from this Christmas didn’t come from shops or expensive outings. They came from laughter, home-cooked meals, and lazy afternoons with the people I love most. Sometimes the simplest days end up being the ones you remember.
I asked the kids this year for one day that they were both free so that we could spend it together doing something Christmassy and we had a great day at the Christmas markets. We made it easy on ourselves and got the train rather than driving and had no plans other than a wander around the market in York.
Putting yourself first sometimes
It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to make Christmas perfect for everyone else and forgetting about yourself completely.
This year I made a real effort to carve out a little time just for me – a cheeky wreath making class in the village, an hour in Starbucks with a chai latte and my phone, a mid afternoon bubble bath followed by an hour on the bed scrolling on Tik Tok with no guilt at all and a wander around the charity shops in the village instead of a trip to the ice rink are all a few things that I’ve done for me this month. Nothing big but the moments that I’ve made for me have been lovely.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t make you selfish; it means you’ve got the energy and headspace to actually enjoy the season.
So if, like me, you’ve spent past Christmas feeling frazzled and overspent, maybe next year is your time to slow down too. You don’t need a huge budget or a packed diary to have a wonderful Christmas – just a bit of calm, a few loved ones, and time to actually enjoy it all.
Because when you slow down, that’s when you really notice just how lovely life already is. 😊
I’d love you follow me on Twitter and it would be amazing to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram. If you’re interested, you can find out more about me here and while I’ve got your attention, if you’re wondering why some of my posts lately are a little bit less frugal then have a read of this post. 😉
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