I guess I’ve always been a bit of a scrooge. I’m happy to be involved but when it comes to organising or taking part myself, I have always tended to take a step backwards. However, since Teddy was born, the magic of Christmas, that I felt as a child, has returned and now I’m in full swing in getting things ready for Teddy to have a wonderful season.
This is new territory for me, though, so it is a bit of a learning curve. I’m making (and learning from) mistakes and have managed to compile 5 Christmas Survival Tips for Dads.
- Start buying gifts early. If there’s any way your bank account is going to manage with the added stress of outgoings, it’s by spreading the cost. In my mind, you should start in the January sales, but this might be taking things a bit too far!
- Likewise, make arrangements with relatives early too. That way they have more time to ‘get over’ the disappointment that you have decided to have a quiet Christmas with immediate family! i.e., not the in-laws…
- Wrap as you go! There is nothing worse than wrapping presents. It’s hard, especially if you cack-handed like me. As a child, my mum’s presents were all wrapped in tin foil. No sellotape needed! Savvy!
- Make sure that you have got the whisky for … *ahem … Santa. Obviously, Christmas is very busy, stressful, tiring and full on and ‘he’ will need a glass of malt at several points during the holiday.
- Put others before yourself and remember what’s important. Cliche I know, but still so relevant. It’s so easy, especially with a young family, to get swept up in everything and forget that the best thing to get from Christmas is time and memories with loved ones. So there you have it, five survival tips for any dad to get through Christmas.
Al & Teddy
Founder and Editor of www.thedadnetwork.co.uk