By Susan Cooper
Can I be honest with you? Christmas has a sneaky way of turning into a monster.
It’s only one day, yet somehow it gobbles up weeks of our time, a frightening chunk of our money and most of our patience.
By mid-December, plenty of us are running on cold coffee and leftover Advent calendar chocolate, wondering why the most wonderful time of the year feels like a second job.
I grew up in Ireland, where Christmas was a full-blown production. My mum did the lot, and I loved every minute.
But I’ve learnt over the years that I don’t have to do it all to give my family a magical Christmas.
If you’re wondering how to simplify Christmas with kids, the trick is to focus on the traditions that matter, plan ahead and let go of the pressure to do everything perfectly.
So here are a few of the things that have made the season simpler (and a whole lot happier) in our house. Pop the kettle on.
1. Simplify Christmas Traditions: Drop the Things You Secretly Dread
Here’s my golden rule: if you love it, keep it. If you dread it every single year, you’re allowed to let it go. No guilt required.
Take the Elf on the Shelf. My co-host Dimity adores hers. It’s her creative outlet, and I love seeing what she comes up with. Me? I’ve told my family it’s not happening.
If your elf gives you the shivers every December, retire it, or just move it from one spot to another each night. The kids will still gasp that it’s moved. That’s the magic, right there.
Then there’s the food. Growing up, Christmas lunch meant hot turkey and hot ham, every single year, and I honestly don’t know how Mum pulled it off.
But that’s a very Northern Hemisphere way of doing things. Here in Australia, with the heat we get, a cold ham, a bowl of prawns and a few good salads do the job beautifully.
Cook the food your family actually wants to eat. When did you last crave turkey, really?
Homemade everything is another one. Mum made her own Christmas puddings and a gloriously fruity Christmas cake, marzipan, icing and all. I make none of those things.
If I’ve got time, I’ll whip up a batch of gingerbread men because they’re easy. And when Jamie and I decorate a gingerbread house, I buy the kit.
Not a baker? Grab the mince pies and shortbread from the shops and don’t give it a second thought.
And those matching Christmas pyjamas? Gorgeous if you love them.
But if you’re chasing sizes for the whole family and your husband would rather eat the tinsel than wear them, skip it. Nobody is taking away your mum badge.
2. Plan Christmas Early and Spread Out the Costs
Christmas lands on the same date every year (shocking, I know), so a little forward planning takes so much pressure off December.
You don’t need a fancy spreadsheet, either. A running list in the notes app on your phone works a treat for gift ideas and the bits you still need to grab.
Lay-by is a lifesaver if you’re on a budget, which let’s face it, most of us are. Snap up gifts in the big mid-year toy sales and pop them on lay-by.
You pay them off bit by bit, and the best part is the shop stores them for you. No sneaking bags past little eyes or stashing presents at Nan’s.
Online shopping is my other secret weapon. You can do it in your pyjamas once the kids are asleep, rather than dragging them through packed shopping centres.
Just give yourself plenty of time, especially for anything coming from overseas, and keep an eye on Australia Post for delivery cut-offs and delays.
3. Reduce Christmas Stress: Give Yourself Permission to Say No
This one is big. You don’t have to say yes to every invitation that lands in December.
If your little ones won’t cope with a late night or a long drive, it’s perfectly okay to say, “That won’t work for us this year.”
You might ruffle a feather or two, but the people who love you will get over it.
A tip that saves me every year: don’t rely on your memory. The moment you hear about something that really matters, put it straight in your calendar.
For me, that’s Jamie’s end-of-year hip hop concert and the school Christmas concert. I wouldn’t miss those for the world.
Lock in the non-negotiables first, then fit everything else around them.
And if you love hosting, maybe save the big get-together for another time of year.
Everyone’s diary is bursting in December, so you could put in all that effort and money only for half the guests to send their apologies.
4. Keep Christmas Simple: Lower Your Standards (Yes, Really)
I’ll put my hand up here. I’ve got perfectionist tendencies, and Christmas used to bring them out in full force.
I’d flick through those glossy Christmas magazines and scroll through picture-perfect Instagram trees and wonder why my place didn’t look like that.
Here’s the thing. Those photos are styled by professionals with big budgets and plenty of time. Trying to recreate them at home, with kids “helping”, is mission impossible.
Once you loosen your grip a little, it gets so much easier to let your kids, your partner or your family pitch in.
So what if the baubles are all bunched at the bottom of the tree? Your kids won’t remember whether the tinsel was perfectly placed.
They’ll remember how Christmas felt. And the best way to make it magical for them is to actually enjoy it yourself.
5. Make Christmas Gift Wrapping Easier with Bright Star Kids
One easy way to take the fuss out of Christmas morning is our personalised Santa gift labels. Stick a name on each present and you’re done.
No more scribbling on tags at midnight, and no more “is this one mine?” when the kids dive under the tree.
Pair them with a personalised Santa Sack and you’ve got a tradition the kids will look forward to year after year.
Plus, it’s one less job on your list in the busy weeks ahead. Order early, though.
Like I said, some of our clever mums have theirs sorted by June.
Watch or Listen: More Tips for a Stress-Free Family Christmas
These are just a handful of the ideas Dimity and I chat about on this episode of the Bright Star Kids Parenting Podcast.
In the full chat, I also share the gifting hack my big Irish family swears by, the one that has saved us heaps of time and money. (Note: This will be linked to the blog for Ep. 11 about Christmas gifts where the Kris Kringle hack will be featured.)
Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Then tell us: are you a super-early Christmas planner, or a last-minute dasher? We’d love to know!
Until next time,
