Can you believe it’s less than 10 days until Christmas? We are shook because we still have to do most of our Christmas shopping. If you’re stuck on pressies for the special people in your life, check out our 2019 Gift Guide that will make your life a whole lot easier.

There are three types of people during the Christmas season. The first are obsessed with it and go overboard with the decorations, the presents and the carols. The second, are those that despise it with a passion. Third, are the people that fall somewhere in between, you don’t hate it but you don’t love it. In fact, you want to love it more but all the hype and the running around planning everything, hopping from one social event to the next and the Christmas shopping has got you feeling overwhelmed. Luckily for you, we have put together an extensive list of tips to get you through the silly season. 

How To Nail Your Christmas Presents 

• Order your presents online so that you can escape the madness that is Christmas shopping at your local mall. Make sure to check the delivery times so you get your packages on time.
• If you have to go to the mall, go to a department store like Macy’s, David Jones or Marks & Spencer and make it your mission to buy all your presents from one place. 
• If possible, get all your Christmas shopping done all in one day and treat yourself to dinner or a movie afterwards. 
• Experiences are some of the best presents like facials, massages, yoga class subscriptions, movie vouchers, skydiving, surfing lessons etc. 
• Organise a Kris Kringle with friends and family if you’re on a budget and set a reasonable cost limit. 

How To Nail Christmas Admin 

• Ask stores and lookup services at your mall for gift wrapping. Even if it costs some extra $$$, it will be worth it as it saves a whole lot of time. 
• If you have to wrap your presents yourself, have a podcast playing in the background. We recommend Christmas Past. It talks about the origin stories of some of the most popular Christmas tales. 
• To get it out of the way, write your Christmas cards at night when you get home from work or set aside one hour on the weekend to smash it out. Put on your favourite TV show and pour yourself a glass on wine while you’re at it. 
• If cards aren’t your thing, what about sending a Christmas email? You can be more descriptive, it’s a great way to connect with someone, it’s more eco-friendly and you can add in some cute Chrissy GIFS. 
• Make Christmas decorating an event with your family, friends and roommates. Get everyone together and snack on Christmas snacks like biscuits, fruit pies, cakes and chocolate in between decorating the tree and the house. When you’re done, celebrate with a glass of wine and a Christmas movie. 
• Do chores around the house that will take a maximum of 30 minutes. You don’t have to transform your house into a showroom. Don’t waste all your energy cleaning for the whole entire day. 

How To Nail Christmas Grocery Shopping 

• Clean out your fridge the weekend before Christmas. While you’re at it, write out a grocery list of what you’ll need for those lunches and dinners. 
• Take advantage of ordering your groceries online and get them delivered straight to your door. 
• If you’re interested and have the time, avoid supermarkets and go to your local grocers or farmers market. The experience itself will be more enjoyable. 
• Now is not the time to experiment with cool and exotic dishes. Stick with what you know. It will help you stay sane, trust us.

How To Nail Self-Care 

• Manage your expectations! Often we think that our Christmas break will be really relaxing but in reality that’s not the case sometimes. Set aside 5-10 minutes a day to write a physical list of things you need to do to get that mental checklist out of your head. 
• Don’t forget to treat yourself. Even though you have social events and technically you’re not working, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time out for yourself. Set aside a half-hour and make some tea, read a book, watch a rom-com and put on a face mask. 
• Buy some fresh flowers for the rooms you’re in the most. 
• When getting through your chores, put on a diffuser with some peppermint or citrus essential oil. 
• Make sure you stick to your usual routine. The silly season can kick us off balance so if you usually go to the gym in the morning, continue to do that. Do you meet a friend for a yoga class in the afternoon? Stick to it. 
• Don’t feel like you have to say yes to everything. If you miss one event, it’s not the end of the world. 

How To Have A Stress-Free Family Christmas

• If you need it, step out for a bit. Go for a quick stroll, head out for a coffee if there’s a cafe down the road. Honestly, people probably won’t notice you’re gone just as long as you keep it to half an hour and under. Everyone needs a breather so don’t feel guilty about taking one. 
• As tempting as it looks, don’t overstuff your plate with food. You can always go back for seconds and most likely they’ll be leftovers too. 
• Make sure you’re drinking a lot of water in between those wines and champagnes. It will make that food coma and hangover a lot more tolerable. 
• If you find yourself feeling sluggish, drink a tall glass of water, make yourself a green tea to debloat, go outside and take a few deep breaths. 

How To Nail Christmastime Travel 

• Flying overseas? Find out how to survive long haul flights here and beat the jetlag with these tips and tricks. 
• For those long Christmas drives, play a podcast that interests everyone in the car instead of music. You never know, you might learn something new that would be an excellent conversation starter at your event.

Words by Tamara Bose