So , it's December the 1st !
The season of overindulgence and intermittent Flares is upon us , and I know many of you , even if you used to be the Life and Soul of the Christmas Office Party , woke up this morning and greeted the calendar with a weary sigh.
The ' I musts ' and ' I have to's' have started creeping into you psyche and your joints are itching just a little more at the thought of it.
Well don't dismay , don't give up on Santa yet , as Auntie Bee has decided to give you : A little gift , a tip a day ,
In the hope to keep Festive flares at bay.
( My inner Grinch has clearly been exposed I'm already Rhyming like Dr. Seuss!!😨).
Most days efforts , like my OH , will be short and sweet 😋😂😂 Love you , Mr. Bee 😘
But Day 1 , we start as we mean to go on , it takes a bit more jovial explanation , because just like the Big Man in the red suit : We're making a list and checking it twice , to stay far from Naughty and only do Nice! ( Off again!!)
So here's the Rules , or as Jack Sparrow would say , " Them 's more guidelines !"
Spend today , or some time soon , writing a list including on it everything you Think you Need or Have to do ( including invitations) to make the Season Merry and Bright.
Do this sitting in a comfy chair with a warming brew , a sweet treat , and an enjoyable film or music on in the background.
Put to one side . Nap or enjoy another brew.
Now , go back and check that list again .
Anything that is on it that you can delegate to someone else , call them now and do it. This is everything from dragging out your crumbling boxes of Christmassy trinkets from the loft , putting 10 million fairy lights around your house , delivering and picking up endless goodies and presents , lifts , Grotto building , Costume making , and even baking and preparing veg on the Big Day.
If it can be done by someone else , pass it on .
Having a Chronic Condition means learning a ' New Normal' and perhaps this year is the year that you finally get around to passing the Mantle of Christmas Tradition Creator to the generation of people below you and just sit back and enjoy it yourself. Believe me , you have done a great job , you've earned this unexpected retirement !
Next , if it isn't something that really needs to be done , or you really want to do , do what you have secretly wished you could do for years and cross it off your list.
They are all naughties.
If just the thought of them brings on Fatigue it's got to go , or you'll end up being on your back before Christmas Eve. The only things in your Christmas Stocking will be Coal , an extra supply of Pred and some heavy duty joint lubricant that will compete with the tree for spreading the scent of pine and block out the flavour of the Festive Beast for all that gather around you.
Umm! Mummy's Turkey was kindly delivered to you with the essence of Volatrol Gel this season!
So , be brutal , like Santa , if it's not good for you ( in body or soul) it does not make the cut.
All those trips up ladders that you don't want to do but the family expect a good show , if someone else can't take the time to do it for you , sorry all , it has to go.
Even if your wife or husband always delegate these jobs to you to help spread the Christmas spirit they enjoy , as much as you love them , be honest ,and let them know , they will need to find a new , fully functioning Elf to assist them this year , or it just can't happen.
Mad dashes across Hill and Vale to delivery those gifts , or around various shops both Day and Night , to get that perfect present , or because little Johnnie wants it , be like Elsa and , " Let it go!"
If you can get it online , do it , if it's elusive , stick a voucher card on a selection box instead ( believe it or not that is the perfect gift for both young and old) and leave Santa and his Merry Men at the Post Office to do the rest.
Hate writing endless cards , stop it. Don't want to go to that thing every year held by the people that make you want to kill them with Christmas wrappings , Don't go .
Unnecessary Christmas cleaning of cupboards , forgotten drawers , under beds , Be gone! Really , if you're Everyday food could live in a cupboard for the rest of the year , your Festive food won't mind .
No need for painful concerts that you feel you must attend ( although , sorry , your Grandchildrens Nativity may have to beat the cut unless you are ill on the day) , no more baking 64009 mince pies , just bake for you if you want too. Gone! Gone! Gone!
If two things clash in a day , you choose the one thing you really want to do that day , and gently decline the rest.
By the end of a very productive day , checking your list while sitting on your bum , you will have transformed Christmas into something you can once again enjoy and cope with relatively Pain and Stress Free.
Do not be tempted or cajoled to waiver . Never add something back on .
If a person can't take no for an answer , send a nice email first and hold your own. If they look grumpy by being forced to take over practical things , just remember , you did too once , way back when , and look what an amazing little Christmas Elf you eventually turned out to be. It's wrong not to share the Pain .... I mean Fun , and they have had their Festive Training neglected long enough.
This ' New Christmas Normal' should fill you with happiness not with Festive Gloom ( after a few sad, accepting sighs , of course ) because what you have left is what you would really have chosen to do from the very beginning . That is , if the burden of Keeping up with Christmas Have To's hadn't sneeked into your life over many , many years and zapped the childish fun out if it.
It doesn't mean you are doing nothing .
You can still enjoy Christmas Dinner with the Family but you aren't preparing every single spot of it. If you love making cards and sending them you plan it in its the stuff you don't like that goes instead. You love a Christmas Market , just enjoy it , don't dash around it getting strangled by an ever growing Christmas List . Candlelit Carols , rest all day , grab a blanket , you can make it ! because you haven't tried to fit in a full Festive assault course before.
Christmas , Real Christmas , will finally have come to your Town.
And that's the point in the first and longest Advent Tip on Auntie Bee's Calendar .
For once , don't think of your PMR / GCA and other Chronic Illness issues as being a plague on all your houses and ruining the fun.
When it comes to Big Days and Big Events , it may have actually started to become your friend. Teaching you a " New Normal " for Life . Allowing you to learn you can slow down and pick and choose . That Balance that you learn now can help you enjoy Life , and especially Christmas or your own Winter Festival of Choice , for years to come , long after PMR , GCA or any Chronic Illness has waved goodbye and shut the door.
So , I hope this tip will be the first to help you gain a Festive Grin , especially if you were already feeling worn out by the thought of the weeks to come.
And in the days ahead , I hope you pop in and see some shorter , sweeter , candy cane flavoured nuggets of knowledge from the years of festive training endured by Auntie Bee, and these will help us all survive Christmas Flare free !
Now where is that Marshmallow!
P.S. The photo was kindly donated by Grandma ( my youngest daughter) of her cheery crochet creations , and I will add a little cuteness each day because every calendar needs a suprise behind the door.
