There’s always a lot to do on Christmas Day from the time you step foot out of bed until the moment you collapse back into it that night. It seems like you get up with on fast speed and you just don’t get to slow down even for a minute. You want to know how to make Christmas day special but it seems so hard with everything going on.
Don’t get so caught up in the social events of Christmas Day that you forget about the reason why we celebrate the holiday to start with. We celebrate Christmas Day by spending time with the people we care about, but if we’re not careful, the people who mean the most to us can get lost in the shuffle. Sure, the presents are nice and the food is great, but that’s not all there is to Christmas Day.
We get so busy visiting all the extended family members on both sides every Christmas Day that we forget to spend time with the ones in our own home. Set aside a block of time just for your family – your significant other, your children, whoever you share your home with.
Just write even an hour into your schedule. You’ll get time to spend with them as well as a break to recharge your batteries. Have a nice, simple meal together and listen to holiday music playing softly in the background.
During the time spent with your family, you can play a game, catch up on one another’s lives or spend time going through the year via the photographs you’ve taken and just reminiscing. Looking through old pictures reminds us of the good times we’ve had, the troubles we’ve overcome, and the joy of being a family.
Refuse to cave in to the stress of knowing you have a lot to get done. Instead, keep your attention focused on one step at a time. Stress happens during Christmas but you don’t have to let it take over.
Don’t rush through visiting the people you’d like to see. Make sure your schedule allows an equal amount of time for both sides of the family. Always begin your Christmas Day visiting by seeing the people you’d like to see first and then moving down the list.
Instead of gathering in large groups and centering on food and talking, get involved as a group doing something for others. If you can’t do something physically for others on Christmas Day, such as helping out at a shelter, do something financial on Christmas day.
Have each family member make a contribution to a charity, to a children’s home or to a struggling family in the community. Everyone can write a brief note and then drop the notes and the contributions off. It’ll warm the hearts of both the giver and the receiver.
