During Christmas time, some families go all out in their preparations for the upcoming festivities and some are for more ‘bah humbug’ about it. People celebrate Christmas differently all over the world and some not at all, but what are the little things that you can you do to make the day go a little smoother?
Offer to help out in the kitchen
You might not want to start with one of the main events, such as the turkey (if you’re having one!) or the trimmings, but you could lend a hand at peeling and chopping, or even setting the table. As long as you don’t do a Chandler Bing and try to wash the spuds with soap, we think you’ll be alright!
It’s not about how much you spend
Some of us might be early bird’s and finish all of our Christmas shopping before we even open that first door on our advent calendars, however don’t worry if you’ve left it a bit late (i.e. Christmas Eve!) or you don’t have much money to spend on your gifts. At Christmas especially, for your family, it’ll be the thought that counts!
Perfect your “I love it!” face
It could be the fourth year in a row that your grandma’s got you an old pair of knobbly socks in a colour that you hate, however being considerate and telling a small white lie won’t hurt anybody. Someone has gone to the trouble of getting you a gift because they care about you so hopefully you’ll only have to wear those socks when you visit!
Try not to get in peoples way
Christmas is a big day for those who celebrate it and your parents or guardians put a lot of effort into preparing the meal and making it a special day for the whole family. Although you might be feeling a bit nosey and the smells coming from the kitchen might be too good to resist, if you’ve been told to keep out of the way, take the time to relax and watch some Christmas Day telly or a film!
Offer to look after the kids
If you’re old enough and you have little brothers and sisters, or younger family members coming over, step up and offer to take care of them! It will relieve your family of stress and the lack of little one’s running around causing mischief might help avoid any accidents when bringing things through to the table.
Take charge of planning activities
If you don’t have any big traditions on Christmas Day, like watching the Queen’s Speech or going sledding, why not organise some after-dinner games or plan for everyone to get comfy on the sofa and watch a movie together? You might start a new tradition!
Help out during the clear-up
It may be impossible, by the end of the day, to see your floor from all the wrapping paper strewn across it, and the table will probably be a mess of spilt sauces and assorted cutlery, so it’s more important than ever to lend a helping hand, clear up and help sort out what can go to recycling. PS – if some of your wrapping paper has remained intact, why not keep it to use for next year?
There you have it, simple ways to help your family out during Christmastime, all that’s left to do is to make sure you enjoy yourself!
Credit TO: young.scot/
