Practical Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas

Time to put the joy back into Christmas with our top tips for a stress-free festive season. 

Write a list and shop online

Christmas is not the time for endless mall browsing. You can do that from January to October if you like. Dealing with Christmas crowds is exhausting, stressful, and often a fruitless task (without a list). It can also pressure you into spending more than you intended.  

Write a list of gift ideas, stick to it and do as much online shopping as you can. Online shopping comes with loads of perks, such as no parking issues, shopping in your PJs, and you can check if an item is in stock. Lots of retailers offer reduced or free shipping as well. 

Save time and shop early 

Ask loved ones what they want. They may have an idea you hadn’t thought of (yay!) or have no idea at all (boo). We recommend starting the conversation in Oct/Nov to get them thinking about it. 

Gift boxes are a firm favourite for their surprise and delight element and variety. Eat My Lunch have a range of beautiful gift boxes filled with award-winning New Zealand brands and delivers nationwide. There’s even a gluten-friendly vegan option. And with all Eat My Lunch products, every item sold helps feed Kiwi kids in need.

It's gift-giving with more meaning. 

Support local

The fallout of Covid19 can mean a delay in shipping and supplies – worldwide. It’s a great opportunity to shop local and support the New Zealand economy, with the added bonus of faster delivery. 

Book some me-time 

Whether it’s a manicure, cocktails with friends or an afternoon reading on the beach. Your sanity at this time of the year should not be the last thing on your list. 

Have a budget and stick to it

Lots of sale signs and shiny things can challenge your Christmas budget. And we’ve all bought unnecessary items before. Remember, it’s only a bargain if you were going to buy it anyway. Otherwise, it’s just stuff. 

Spread the workload 

Christmas at yours this year? You’re a family member not a staff member so give everyone a task to do (yep, that includes teenagers). Everyone likes to help with the cooking so assign courses to each group – someone does a protein starter, another brings roast vegetables, and another brings a summer fruit dessert. 

 Here are other tasks you may not have thought of which will lighten the load:

Delegate someone to:

1. Organise games for the younger kids. 
2. Decorate the table (everything from choosing the tablecloth colour, to making sure there are enough wine glasses and napkins)
3. Organise special dietary foods. A sweet and savoury for your gluten-friendly/vegan or dairy-free guests. 
4. Hand out the Christmas presents and gather up the paper/packaging afterwards for recycling. 
5. Take photos of everyone on the day.
6. Make a non-alcoholic punch that everyone can enjoy.