Got a crazy Christmas calendar with more to fit in? Here’s how to have a stress-free Christmas catch-up with the people you love, without having to do the admin you hate.
‘Tis the season where the group chats suddenly become alive and well with the flurry of ‘we should catch up before Christmas’ messages, due to the fact that December is now here and we have all subliminally absorbed the fact that post-Christmas doesn’t exist (it does! It’s great! It’s MUCH more relaxed!). So, if you have a suddenly packed Christmas calendar and more dates to cram in there, here’s our guide to having a low-key Christmas catch-up
Lower Your Expectations/Do It In January
Honestly, it wouldn’t be a Capsule Christmas Content piece if we didn’t start it this way, but it just bears repeating over and over again: nothing has to be perfect, and Christmas is an invented deadline for most social occasions.
Schedule It For Mid-Week
Fridays tend to be booked out with work stuff, weekends tend to be scheduled with kid-friendly activities and then before you know it, it’s the end of the year! Go for a mid-week hang out, like a Tuesday or Wednesday, because everyone’s expectations are automatically lower (see above) and there’s still an adult thrill of doing things ‘on a school night’. Also, if you do it after 8pm, everyone’s already eaten dinner so you can just have a cup of tea, a glass of wine or a mince pie. Easy peasy.
Everybody Brings One Thing & One Thing Only
For a super low-key Christmas catch-up, the easiest snack option is to just have everyone bring something for a platter. Fruit, cheese, cracker, olives, etc – a platter is an art, not a science, and is great for long-term snacking, versus the pressure of having a hot meal on the table. You know, your classic girl dinner (can you believe that was a 2023 thing? Not even THIS year? Time is insane).
Everybody Brings A Different Version Of The Same Thing
To stop the mental work of ‘what should I bring to this,’ have a theme instead. Have a pasta salad party, a pavlova party, an ice cream sundae party, a mince pie party, a gin cocktail party, a leftovers party (delish!!). This is a fun idea if you’re looking for something that’s a bit special but also not that hard. Also, I once read about someone who had a toast party – she provided the toast and a range of toppings and honestly, that’s a delight!
Have An Outdoor Catch-Up
If your house is anything like mine, the chaos of the year is now… widespread. Instead of making someone host a gathering – and have to tidy, organise, ugh, all of it – arrange to meet up for a park picnic or beach fish & chips. Why waste our good summer evenings panicking about whether or not you need to vacuum when you can bask outdoors instead?
