Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. We know that because there’s a song that says as much. However, as well as the magical moments, there are also some tricky bits of Christmas for parents to navigate. And that is why we have put together this article. We want to pre-empt the tough bits and give you some coping mechanisms. You are welcome.
The tricky bits of Christmas
Indecisive kids
We all know that Santa needs a fair amount of notice to get his elves to create the gifts ready for the big day. We also know that children are liable to change their minds at the drop of the hat. The list they wrote out some time around the end of August could be obsolete by September, back in contention around Halloween, out again at Bonfire night and definitely what they certainly want at about 11:56pm on Christmas Eve.
That’s a slight exaggeration, admittedly, but the point remains. What your child asks for early on in the year stands a good chance of being rejected in the run-up to the festive period. It’s important to spread the cost of Christmas and so many parents buy gifts early, but a better idea might be to save the money in a separate account and commit in the middle of December when you are fairly sure they’ll still want it on Christmas Day.
Obviously, there are some in-demand toys you need to snap up early but, in that case, if they do change their minds, you can always sell it at a profit to a desperate parent who wasn’t so quick off the mark.
The works Christmas party
It may be that you love your workmates and can’t wait to spend more time with them at the annual Christmas do. But you’re likely to be in a minority. Come on, don’t give us that fake outrage, most of us find the enforced fun with folks you associate with the daily grind to be one of the tricky bits of Christmas.
It’s a minefield. There’s free booze and the person who can sack you in the same room. At the same time. How can that ever work out well? The silly games you have to play, the tedious smalltalk. Chances are that you’re looking for a way out. (This does’t apply to the Dadsnet do, of course. Ahem…)
Well, being a parent is the win here. The extreme get-out is pretending a child is ill so you can’t attend the party. It’s a classic that we all move onto after we kill off our fictional grandparents to get a day off work. But if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you can pretend you have to be back for bedtime or to take over from your other half. This means you have to drive and can’t drink, reducing the chances of you insulting your boss immeasurably.
The school Christmas performance
Your kids will have to put on some kind of performance ahead of Christmas. It might be a nativity, a carol concert or something else, but it will involve a certain amount of resolve on your behalf. Whilst our own children are bright shining stars who deliver their lines with panache and sing with the sweetest angelic voices, watching other people’s children perform is only slightly less painful than pulling out your nosehairs, one-by-one.
So how do you deal with this effectively? Well, don’t drink too much in the morning and ensure you go to the toilet before you go in. They are notoriously long as they attempt to give each child in the entire key stage an opportunity in the spotlight, and that is a long time to keep your legs crossed. Also, have a good walk around before you enter the hall. You’ll be crushed into uncomfortable child seats for an hour of so. Make the most of your limbs before you have to fold them underneath yourself for the performance.
Bonus tip: before the big day, ask your child for the three or four lines before theirs so that you can prepare your phone to record their big moment and you don’t miss it. Or you don’t have to film hours of other people’s kids that you then have to spend all day deleting around your child’s bit.
Are there any tricky bits of Christmas you can help people navigate? Let us know in the Comments
