The Christmas Fairy Has Had Enough

Just because you’ve always been the one to cook the turkey does it mean you have to do it forever?

Do you have to produce the beautifully decorated table complete with an artfully crafted centre piece made from driftwood, sustainable holly, and a tallow-free, organically scented candle? Do you feel your guests’ Christmas would be incomplete without individually wrapped table presents? Or have you spent hours searching for crackers to match your dinner plates?

Of course, if this is how your Christmas rolls and you’re happy with it, that’s great. But increasingly as midlife women, I think it’s easy to feel put upon when it comes to Christmas. Seeing our nearest and dearest makes Christmas special for most of us, but is it fair that one person ends up doing most of the work? Let’s be honest in most cases that person is a woman, (apologies to any men out there who do their part). How often have you spent weeks preparing for the big day only to end it in an exhausted heap whilst everyone else plays charades and wonders what time supper is?

Who are these people who can eat a full roast complete with trimmings, Christmas pudding and mince pies, and then start asking, “What’s for supper?” half an hour later? Your family, that’s who.

All the above does not mean you should abandon Christmas altogether, these days there are so many alternatives. If you have grown-up children, suggest that they host for a change. Book a restaurant for Christmas day and have a relaxing time with family and friends whilst someone else does the cooking and the washing up.

If celebrating at this time of year is not for you for whatever reason you could book a trip away, either to somewhere quiet where you don’t have to encounter other people’s festive cheer, or perhaps to a country where Christmas isn’t celebrated.

Photo by Unsplash, photographer Todd Trapani

Sometimes as we age it’s easy to become just that little bit invisible to our loved ones, they may think, that mum, grandma, aunty, or best friend (substitute as appropriate) has always hosted Christmas so they don’t expect that to change. They may not realise that you no longer enjoy it. Why not surprise them and suggest a new way to spend time together?

Whatever you decide to do, make it something you can enjoy with whomever you choose without needing a week in bed to recover.