This is how to survive Christmas if you're already hyperventilating from stress

My first little bit of Christmas stress hit me this weekend. Suddenly, I read something about strikes at the post office and saw my gifts spending the holidays all alone somewhere in a depot. Since the Staatsloterij advertisement, I also attribute emotions to things. Very strange, yes. After that, I got tangled up with my planning around grocery delivery, and so the first Christmas stress settled in my lower abdomen. Strange, because officially I no longer experience stress.

In my mind, I envisioned a serene December month. Me strolling through the supermarket, stirring with spoons in pots, and dancing around to Mariah Carey in the living room. In this ideal scenario, I bought some Christmas gifts here in a deserted The Hague on a quiet Tuesday afternoon and was ready well in time. In practice, I mainly see work, work, and more work. You would think that people would take it a bit easier in December, but they actually step on the gas even more. The situation: in a span of three weeks, I do work for three months, and meanwhile, Christmas is rushing towards me.

Research shows that men experience significantly less Christmas stress than women. This is due to the fact that women are still often the Head of Christmas in 2022. Nonsense, of course, because no matter how you are composed: everyone can handle Christmas. I usually take care of the gifts and groceries, and my boyfriend cooks. This is the way to make your Christmas a bit more manageable. Ask for help. Not only within your own family but also from relatives and friends. Coming for dinner? Bring your own dish. Coming for drinks? Bring your own booze. It may sound less cozy, but you will actually become much more cheerful.

What helps against stress? Prepping until you weigh a ton. If your preparation goes smoothly, then you will also go smoothly. That preparation also includes a planner in which you schedule some free hours. A walk on Christmas morning, some free hours between brunch and dinner, or just taking a whole Christmas day for yourself. Stress is a symptom of too little relaxation, and it helps to address the cause and not the effect. But above all, let it go a bit, because in the end, everything always turns out fine.

Do you know what else is unfortunate? Your sex drive also drops to freezing point during Christmas. This is due to that stress, the enormous amount of food, and liters of drink. It seems to become much more booming again towards New Year's Eve. Literally and figuratively. Luckily. You already have something to look forward to.