Writings by me

Reading my usual Christmas magazine and my resounding response to all the tips and hacks was….’yeah right!’

As in yeah right am I going to:

• Have reserve presents for randoms who turn up unannounced
• Afford matching festive PJs for the whole family
• Have time to batch-cook in the pre-Christmas rush for aforementioned randoms in case they overstay their welcome
• Afford to spend more than £5 on a Secret Santa gift.

All these are ideals and perfectly lovely. But this year, because of the cost-of-living crisis, it seems a little out of touch and shows that there seems to be a general acceptance that a) Christmas will cost a bomb and b) it must cost a bomb, to be perfect.

So, with that in mind, my Christmas pledge is to try my best to avoid the hype and use all the stuff I already have. Here is what I am thinking might help (go on, steal them!):

• Doing an inventory of wrap, cards, ribbon etc; I always get carried away with this once they hit the shops but really, I never use ribbon and everyone is lucky if they get a nametag.
• Finally using those old Christmas cards I can’t bear to part with for Christmas crafting. I’m thinking Christmas collages, tree decorations or even better – repurposed new Christmas cards.
• Actually using the rewards I collect throughout the year; a brief check of my Tesco Clubcard account revealed £43 worth of Tesco Club Card vouchers just sitting there (who knows for how long). Using them for the Christmas food shop is one option, but I had a flutter to see about converting them and we can go to Longleat for a festive day out for free. Check it out!
• Using my local library more for festive DVDs, books and free events – perfect for Christmas on a budget; our local library does Lego Club, storytelling, crafting and free DVD rentals for kids.
• Putting a bring-your-own rule in place for all parties/visits; I often want to spoil my friends and family by providing all the bits, but those bacon sandwich visits, and random 21st December-cake treats add up.
• Ditching the traditions that no-one actually enjoys and save the money to spend on stuff we enjoy doing; I’m not actually sure what those are for us, but I am going to check on what I’m doing and spending money on because I should rather than whether we want to.
• Hand-delivering as many of my Christmas cards as possible – one of my favourite memories of my Mum was driving and walking around the nearby villages and hand-delivering our Christmas cards. So, you get two things; a lovely Christmas tradition and savings on stamps.
• Buying strategically; my friend messaged me yesterday to suggest we buy for each other but not the kids – an absolutely wonderful idea when normally it’s the reverse. The kids already get so much whereas treating ourselves falls by the wayside – not this year.
• Prioritising; for every family there are non-negotiables and things that aren’t as important to their Christmas experience. To me, Christmas is about the build-up and the food; for you it might be the decorations and seeing family. Whatever it is, prioritise spending to reflect that.
• Cutting the Christmas merch; by this, I mean the Christmas homewares and general decorative nonsense. This will be the hardest for me; I love merchandise, and Christmas merchandise is pretty much the epitome of this enthusiasm. I’ll let you know how I get on (at the time of writing, I have purchased two straw Christmas glasses for the boys and a Snowman-themed baking set…must do better.)
• Embracing the fact that actually the free things to do at Christmas seem to have the most effect on my Christmas spirit; going on Christmas lights walks and carol services are my favourites but creating a festive cinema at home, drawing Christmas pictures, window shopping, Christmas markets, making a small donation to a local charity or helping a neighbour, creating a homemade photo shoot and Christmas discos at home when it starts to get dark are guaranteed to give you the Christmas feelings without the spending guilt.

Here’s to the Christmas build-up – now where are those Christmas mugs I already have?