Christmas is Just One Day

This post is written in partnership with Andrex®

Christmas is just one day, but the build up lasts weeks or even months. I follow a few people on social media who had their Christmas tree up by the first of November! It seems so early, but each to their own! It is hard though not to compare and contrast your own festivities to other peoples now that we tend to share so much of our lives on social media. People start uploading pictures of their trees festooned with carefully colour co-ordinated decorations; Pillows and throws get changed for warmer colours, and everyone is bopping about to Bublé.

I wonder if behind the scenes of these perfectly curated little squares on instagram is absolute Christmas chaos like there probably will be at my house? The tree will have been pulled over by one of the kids at least once daily since it went up; the Christmas cards pegged to the pretty ribbon and hung from our picture rail will drop off at random intervals and the kids will moan if I dare try and put ‘Rockin’ around the Christmas tree’ on the TV to get us in the spirit.

For us Christmas is pretty quiet as we don’t have much family local, so it will be the four of us plus my mum who always comes to stay for a little while. So whilst it means we don’t have to get creative with seating arrangements it does mean we like to be extra tidy to accommodate her and all the extra toys that will inevitably arrive in the living room as we have no guest room!

The guest towels will come out and I’ll make sure they’re fluffy and that everything is welcoming; from fresh bed linen to having Andrex ready in the loo, so it’s clear we’re pulling out all the stops and using the very best in every area! The posh scented hand soap comes out, the ‘best’ table cloth and some proper coffee, no instant for her! If you’ve got guests staying this Christmas and want to make them feel at home maybe see if you can find out their favourite chocolate so you can leave one on their pillow, or find out their favourite band and have a CD playing in the background when they arrive? But things may still go wrong, and that’s okay!

It does make me feel a better though that people all over the country, will be having their own festive disasters and dilemmas, we won’t be the only ones! I asked a few of my fellow bloggers what sort of Christmas conundrums they’ve faced in the past…
While my husband and I were dating we didn’t want to offend our families by picking one family to have Christmas dinner with. So we had Christmas dinner with my family then rushed off to have another Christmas dinner with his family. I have never been so full in all my life! – Robyn at Cold Cuppa Club
One Christmas as a child my uncles came with their parents at the time so out came the extending table. Now in the 80s before ikea it was flimsy extension propped up like a match stick. We’re very tall in my family so it was only a matter of time before Uncle Bobs gangly legs brought one end of the table down. Projectile stuffing balls so over cooked I’m surprised no one lost and eye and the one time of the year us southerners have gravy, it’s all over poor brothers lap. A Christmas to remember for sure! Phill at Corporate Dad
We blew up our oven using both sections of it and all four hob plates, trying to cook a first Christmas dinner for all our family in our new house. We ended up having to use the rotisserie in the gas barbecue, and some camping stoves! Lauren at Mummy is a Gadget Geek

What you should always remember though is that Christmas Day is just one day when it comes down to it, it’s not the end of the world if someone has to eat with their plate balanced on their knees, or if you forget the stuffing! If all the perfect little squares on instagram are making you get christmas-envy ignore them, or better still show people the reality of your Christmas! What counts is being with people you love and having a good time together! If a big fancy Christmas isn’t for you, don’t do it! Have a chilled out day in your PJs in front of the TV if that’s what makes you happiest!