Our 2024 Christmas article was a smorgasbord of ways to reduce seasonal stresses. There is a wealth of tips on dealing with:
- Exhaustion / overwhelm – So much to do and not enough time!
- Isolation – The other side of the coin, nothing to do and nobody to see
- Grief – Harbour City Funeral Homes host a service of remembrance every Christmas. Attend live at Old St Paul’s Cathedral, or join online. In 2025, it’s on Friday 12th December at 6.30pm. See their website for more information.
- Financial – Extra demands when money may already be short
- Family – Sometimes there are major family issues that come to the fore at this time of year.
- Emotional – When those family problems rear their ugly heads, or just reducing the overload
- Food – The challenge of healthy eating
The Reason for the Season
This year has a different feel, with so many people struggling financially. How can we do things differently – not in a spirit of deprivation, but more about getting to the heart of what is meaningful.
When we need to make some tough choices about what we can and can’t afford, it’s even more important to think about what the essence of Christmas is for us. What does Christmas mean to you? Not what it has been in the past, as that may be less than ideal, but what would you like your day (or the whole season) to be? Some examples might be:
- A celebration of your faith
- A time for family to come together
- A time of rest and rejuvenation
- Maybe even hibernation for extreme introverts who are peopled out
- Opportunities to be of service
- Party month!
- All of the above
- Or something else completely.
Plan Ahead
Sit down in a quiet spot with a cuppa, and write down everything you need to do before Christmas. Then get ruthless. Budget your time and energy as if it’s money – you can’t do it all. Remember your “reason for the season”. What is vital for your family’s Christmas needs? What can be changed, postponed, or not done at all?
Planning meals and gifts early means more opportunities to get good prices. So make a note now to do this even earlier next year.
This article has some tips for your planning.
Festive recipes
Do you have special dietary needs? Don’t scroll on past this section! We’ve put together a range of different Christmas food ideas for you to check out.
Most of them are low in added sugar, and hopefully there is something there for whatever dietary plan you need to cater for – Paleo, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, starch free or just wanting to try something a bit different.
Does the budget stretch to special foods right now? If our posts full of celebratory foods are adding insult to injury, check out our pages about good eating on a budget. How can you make those cheaper but nutritious foods into something festive?
Maybe one or two extras will be enough, if your main focus is on the time you spend with friends and family.
Or POV change – is a gut healing, homemade bone broth based dish actually a more loving way to feed them than some of the usual dishes, for example?
Breakfast
If your main meal isn’t till later in the day, eating a nutritious breakfast will keep you going till then, without feeling the need to snack on empty calories. (Although you may still choose to, no judgment here…)
You can create a festive atmosphere at minimum or no cost. Set a pretty table – with Xmas ornaments if you have them, but they’re not necessary. If you have some essential oils, diffuse orange, frankincense, pine or a festive blend. Play some carols if you like them, or whatever music you prefer. Allow enough time to relax together as a household before the madness of the day starts.
Then choose whether you want your regular breakfast or something a bit different. There is a vast list of possibilities on our Christmas Breakfasts page.
Some simple, affordable options might include:
- A festive-y smoothie – this post has a few varieties for you to choose from. Or see our smoothie page for even more options.
- Overnight oatmeal –to make it more festive, stir in your choice of dried fruit, frozen cranberries, nuts, diced up fresh orange (prepare as you would a grapefruit, then extract the flesh with a teaspoon), cinnamon. Drizzle with cream or coconut cream, and honey, brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Christmas morning Orange Cranberry muffins (maybe even poke in a couple of chunks of chocolate to make them extra special)
Main meal
Lots to choose from on our Christmas Lunch / Dinner page.
If we’re looking for more frugal ideas, check out this page from Frugal Kiwi. Their suggestions include potato salad, roasted veg & BBQing sausages that have been marinated overnight for extra flavour. They have a bunch more tips on the page too.
More tips for Christmas dinner on a budget – though sadly the site FoodMe that they reference doesn’t seem to be around any more.
Sweet Stuff
If Christmas Cake is a must and you don’t already have a favourite recipe, try my Easy As and very versatile Christmas Cake. There’s another page with More Christmas sweets, desserts and drinks.
For desserts, Frugal Kiwi suggest pav, trifle or fruit salad. Extra tip from us – if you make pav, make sure to use the egg yolks elsewhere, as they are the most nutritious part of the egg. Examples – add to your smoothies, make lemon curd (for gifting or for drizzling on top of the pav) or make your own mayo.
Supper
Chances are you won’t need much in the evening, maybe just a light snack. Think of leftovers (eg make a Curried chicken salad from leftover chicken or turkey), a nutritious soup or anything from the Christmas Breakfasts page
Gifting
Remember the Christmas chapter in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott? Each of the girls gave up some of their time or something they valued to make or buy something special for their sisters. The short story The Gift of the Magi by O Henry has a similar theme.
We can never go back to those simpler times, when an orange and some nuts in a Christmas stocking were something special. But maybe there’s a lesson around putting some creative thought into what would be most appreciated by those we love.
- Gift your time or your talents.
- Give vouchers for babysitting, dog walking or other chores.
- Make some festive goodies.
- Create special foods for friends with special dietary needs (ask what they can’t eat first, then research in our Recipe Index).
- Share seeds or produce from your garden.
- Shop the thrift stores or Christmas markets.
- What do you have that you can re-gift?
- Make agreements with friends in similar straits to not give, just to have a special dinner together.
More ideas in last years Christmas article.
This article has a great list of DIY gift ideas.
This article is about Budget buying for kids.
Some sustainable gifting ideas.
Holidays
There is such a lot we do around Wellington. We don’t always take advantage of the many activities on our doorstep, when we’re in our weekly routine. Yes, some of it costs, but some doesn’t. Check out last January’s article on having a Wellington Staycation.
Maybe you have friends in a different part of Greater Wellington who are also not going away. Consider a house swap, to explore their neck of the woods.
Look around for opportunities to house / pet sit in a different locale.
brooklynwellness.nz 