{"id":15751,"date":"2018-11-27T09:08:36","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T09:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidstart.co.uk\/blog\/?p=15751"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:44:09","slug":"stress-free-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidstart.co.uk\/blog\/stress-free-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on how to have a stress-free Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas is magical and happy time of the year but it can also be very hectic and stressful.<\/h2>\nUse these tips to help have a more manageable festive period and so you can relax and enjoy Christmas Day with your family.\n

Plan in advance<\/h3>\nAs you know already Christmas can be manic, especially with little ones running around it can easily get out of hand. We recommend planning everything, write lists for food, presents, decorations you need and even add dates to the diary when you’re going to buy everything too.\n\nIf you start in November you can slowly get everything sorted to make the run up to Christmas less chaotic.\n

Shop online<\/h3>\nYou can buy pretty much buy everything you need online now. So stay at home and shop from the comfort of your own home without the hassle of crowds and screaming kids. You can also use KidStart<\/a> when you shop online to earn savings for your little one’s future.\n

Stick to a budget<\/h3>\nChristmas can be very expensive so decide on a budget early and stick to it. Don’t feel bad about how much you’re spending on presents, it’s the thought that counts or even agree to not buy presents for everyone. Instead you could arrange to meet up with friends in the New Year as a ‘gift’ instead of swapping presents.\n

Christmas cards and wrapping<\/h3>\nStart now if you’re sending Christmas cards, write a handful a night and then you’ll be ready to send them by December. This means no hand ache and stressful nights scrawling Christmas cards until midnight the week before the big day.\n\nFor wrapping, if you’re buying online and free gift wrapping is an option, go for it. Similarly to writing Christmas cards start early, start wrapping as soon as you start buying presents, this means that if you run out of gift wrap you have time to buy more too. We recommend using brown paper, it’s eco-friendly, affordable and can be jazzed up with string, ribbon and bows. Brown paper can also be used all year round.\n

Have some me time<\/h3>\nRemember to book time off if you’re a working parent so you can spend time with your little ones. But also, schedule some time in for yourself and do something that makes you happy. Whether that’s having a bath and a pamper session or getting a babysitter and arranging a date night with your partner.\n

Christmas dinner<\/h3>\nMaybe the most stressful aspect of the day is cooking the Christmas dinner. The timings, not burning the turkey, making sure you don’t forget the pigs in blankets and that everyone is fed. Make things easier by prepping as much as you can the days before, write a list of every step – include timings and links to recipes. Then just relax, pour yourself a drink and put on some Christmas music – it’s not the end of the world if something goes wrong.\n

Enjoy yourself<\/h3>\nMost importantly, enjoy yourself! It’s Christmas – time to have fun with your little ones and the rest of your family.\n

Related Article<\/h3>\n
Top Toys for Christmas 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>