Getting ready for Christmas!

I find that Christmas creeps up on me every year and I am sure that I am not alone! It is 1st December, the first day of advent, and then it is suddenly 15th and I have just over a week to get myself organised.

I have opened the first door of my advent calendar and it is the sign that Christmas is on its way. It is chilly out there and I am wearing gloves, another sign that Christmas is coming. I am not a fan of mild weather over Christmas – I want the air crisp and clear and I want to feel as if we are in the ‘deep mid-winter’ to quote a carol. There are lots of traditions that I share with others during advent usually and I am contemplating a different advent as we come out of our lockdown - what will we be permitted to do and what will we be prevented from doing. What do your traditions consists of? Mine include going to the South Bank with friends and family and enjoying a walk along the river, shopping at the stalls in the Christmas market and drinking mulled wine whilst looking out across the river in the dark at the beauty that is London. The view both ways is spectacular and the lights in the dark and their reflection off the water are so special. Sadly, I won’t be doing that this year but I need to find some new ones. I think after this week we will be allowed outdoors so it is just a matter of having a look at what is possible over the coming weeks and making dates to do this with the friends and family that I do have here in London.

Get organised

The key to bringing ourselves as much joy as possible at Christmas is always to get organised. Planning everything helps. I get out a notebook and start making my list, like Santa, and this year I am having to be more organised than ever. Once we are allowed back in the shops I am going to rush out there and get all my gifts so that, should things change, I can feel secure in the knowledge that no one will go without. I do lists of cards, gifts, dates when I want to see people and dates for shopping. Once I have planned then it’s just a matter of setting aside time to do everything. That way I can truly enjoy the whole period.

Take care of yourself

One of the tricky things for us, during the very busy run up to Christmas, having so much to do, is that we stop getting enough rest. Between buying, wrapping and delivering (or sending) gifts, going to work as well as everything else, it is easy to forget to take care of ourselves. On the run up to Christmas it is so important to look after yourself and most especially this year with Covid 19 being so contagious. Please do take care when out and about shopping for Chirstmas. Make sure that you can really enjoy the festive season by being in good health and good spirits once it arrives by getting enough rest, good, healthy food and water.

Once 25th December comes, carry this through by combatting the excesses of Christmas, an easy time to get grumpy and run down through inactivity and inertia. It is really important to entertain yourself (and your family) and rejuvenate yourself with as much as possible time outdoors, which is why crisp, cold weather is preferable at this time of year! The whole family needs to get out and walk around, even if it just in the streets surrounding your area. You will feel so much better for it.

Expectations

I really look forward to the Christmas break each year and I am always thrilled to be able to spend an extended time away from home enjoying more time with loved ones than the busy year allows. I have very high expectations of Christmas and sometimes this has been my downfall. I have, on occasion, driven home feeling that I did not have the experience that I had hoped for.

I think that this year, with our emotions running higher than normal about just about everything, we are have high expectations of the festive period and having high expectations can lead to disappointment. This year I think that our experiences will be very different because we will be so appreciative of our time with those we love that we will savour every minute of it. I know that I will. I will take more photos, sing more Christmas songs and eat more than ever!

This is fast becoming a how to survive Christmas guide but it is so important to take really give some consideration about what your intentions are this year. What do you want to give and what do you want to get for Christmas? What parts of what you want for yourself can and will you give yourself instead of expecting from someone else.

No matter how you prepare for Christmas, take really good care. I have a feeling that Covid 19 will be on the rampage in the run up to Christmas day.

Remember, you are not alone!

hillybarker@gmail.com