6 steps to a smoother and happier Christmas 2020

I'm aware that for some people, Christmas is a painful time of the year, so, if you want to skip this blog, I'll understand. 

However, if you are going to celebrate Christmas, 2020 means planning ahead is really necessary, both to ensure your loved ones get their gifts on time, and so you can have as good a time as possible in a strange year. Rather than Christmas prep stress, use these six tips to plan for a more relaxed time, feeling connected with your loved ones. 

1. Start shopping sooner, and post earlier

This year there will be a lot more online orders, backlogs for some companies, and then not being able to visit friends and family means those gifts and cards will go back in the post a second time.

Avoid the stresses of late deliveries, and plan when you'll be browsing, buying, shipping and posting gifts to your loved ones. You can sit with a brew at home and easily pay for postage online to spend less time in the Post Office.

2 Get connected by sending cards

Yeah, sending a social media messenger gif (while still in your pj's) has become a Christmas Day thing for many of us, but sending an actual Christmas card is much more meaningful.

You can find a huge raft of cards from the twee to the highly offensive, so looking for just the right selection is great fun. Then, sitting down to write out and stamp up is a beautiful way to take time out, and feel properly connected to your friends and family. 

Cards from Vaulted Fantasies, Curious Pancake and Sarah Robinson Designs

3. Feel smug by shopping small

You get a massive glow delighting someone with a gift specific to their interests. Proving you did extra to find their perfect present.

Throughout 2020 there's been a lot of talk about smaller shops suffering while the giants get richer. The perk of shopping small is you'll find gifts big businesses don't offer, which can even designed exactly to your wishes. You can easily shop small from your sofa thanks to sites like Etsy, Folksy, The British Craft House, and many small businesses having their own sites.  Often they'll also offer to gift wrap and post right to your loved ones!

Trout decoration from Elbri Crafts - unusual but perfect!

4. Get crafty

Making something is a wonderful break for your brain, a positive boost and a rewarding way to spend a dark evening in cosy distraction. It also gives you something to proudly decorate your home, a gift to give, or personal touches for gift wrapping.

No matter how without skill you think you are, give it a go, just let rip. Cut out your own gift tags, try a kit, or give a simple tutorial a go - have a go at these easy paper gift bags.

Gift bags, decorations, or both!

5. Wrap to the max

Turn your gift wrapping into a relaxing activity (find Christmas concernts on YouTube, make festive coffee) and give your recipient a delight to open.

You might go eco friendly with a reusable material wrap, or decorating plain paper which can be recycled (unlike many wrapping papers). Wrap a gift in a couple of layers, like pass the parcel, with notes hidden in the layers. If you don't feel crafty yourself, pick up tags and unusual wrapping paper which will raise smiles.

Cheat a bit and buy decorative details rather than making your own

6. Also, just stop if you need to

You can just stop at any point. If your brain is melting, chuff it, stop, and focus on things which will help you get level again.

• If you can't afford, think of or find gifts, give people promises to Do Things together in the future.
• ​If cards or gifts will be late, it means your friends and family get extra delights to look forward to. 
• If you don't have wonderfully wrapped gifts, hey ho, that just gets ripped off anyway.
• If you want to just put Christmas in the bin this year, you can do that. Tell people you're celebrating your own way, by waiting until you feel like celebrating something.

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Hopefully this list has given you a little pause for thought, a couple of ideas, and you're going to bounce into the next few weeks with plans to find unusual gifts, wrap boldly, write cards and brighten the long dark. If you're not feeling it, I equally hope you find a litte shine somewhere.