Most holidays are generally made for kids. Easter egg hunts, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinners; but one holiday shines high above the others when it comes to being completely and utterly aimed at children- Christmas! For couples with small children the first few Christmases are wonderful, hilarious times, where adults can relive their own childhood glee concerning Christmas vicariously through their own children! After a while though, and especially if other family members aren’t around to help, or if there are a lot of children, Christmas can quickly become a rather stressful endeavour. How, then, can parents ensure their holiday period is as relaxing as it is for childless couples?

Shopping Date

shopping cntre xmas

Christmas shopping is often a rather stressful time, but parents can make the entire process a lot more fun and relaxing simply by making a day of it! Pop into town late morning, buy a few presents, go for a meal, pick up a few more presents, pop into a bar for a cocktail or two, and if there are more presents left to buy, pop out again. Conversation, lunch, and the lovely lubricating effects of alcohol will 1) make the act a lot less stressful and 2) turn what would have been an awful day into a lovely, festive, date for the parents!

Games After Bedtime

It’s the run up to Christmas Eve, the kids are getting excited and the days are beginning to blur into one big, tedious mess. Stop! After the children are tucked up and asleep, pop open a bottle of wine, get the cards out and enjoy a few relaxing games between just the two of you! If you really want to learn the ropes of poker or other card games, pop online onto MrSmithCasino; you’ll learn the skills to have fun, plus you might even win a little money in the process!

Get Help!

family dinner

If Christmas Day took place in March, May, September, or any other ‘regular’ month, it would be classified as a form of torture; waking up at the crack of dawn to screaming, having to cook breakfast and an enormous lunch at the same time, having to clean the house afterwards, then being kept awake by children’s movies; it’s straight out of Guantanamo. You can beat the Christmas Day stresses with one simple tip, however- enlisting others’ help. Stop being a martyr trying to replicate your own parents’ skill at Christmas when you were a child (they were stressing too, don’t worry) and ask the kids’ grandparents, aunts, uncles- whoever- to pop round. They’ll help with the organisation plus your entire family will be together; truly what Christmas is all about!