We’ve all seen the happy family Christmas scenes depicted in the media. Whether it’s adverts, films or magazines, this time of year is filled with the perfect family Christmas. But reality just isn’t like that. Christmas is up there with one of the most stressful times of the year. There are so many reasons why Christmas can cause tension, and it’s completely normal if your relationship doesn’t match up to the perfection portrayed in the media!
The added stress of Christmas
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and it’s my absolute favourite. But Christmas can put an enormous amount of pressure on relationships. There are lots of reasons for this, but money is definitely one of the biggest causes of stress at Christmas. I’ve had Christmases where we just didn’t have any money at all. In fact, when my first son was one, both myself and my husband were made redundant and we only just managed to pay the bills. That was the most stressful Christmases I’ve ever experienced. Fortunately, our son was too little to understand and we just bought him a few toys from the pound shop – that was honestly all we could afford. Having a budget and planning ahead definitely makes a difference and helps to ease the financial pressure of Christmas.
As well as the financial stresses for couples, there are plenty of other things that can cause disagreements at Christmas. There’s deciding who’s family to see when, arguing about who’s driving and who can have a drink, arguing over who does what in the build up to the big day.
It’s completely normal if your relationship is a little strained at this time of year, don’t worry if the reality doesn’t match up to the way it’s all portrayed in the media.
Being single at Christmas
As well as the stresses of being in a relationship at Christmas, many singletons feel a little down about the fact that they don’t have a partner to share Christmas with.
There are plenty of ways to give yourself the chance to meet somebody special in the run up to Christmas, so don’t despair if you are single. It’s worth signing yourself up to a local dating site, for example, you could opt for a Kent dating site if you’re local to Kent. This is a great way to meet people who live close to you, giving you the perfect opportunity to start a relationship that has real potential. There’s not much point chatting to somebody who lives hundreds of miles away if you’re looking for a date in Kent!
Accepting the ups and downs
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to accept that life and relationships can’t possibly be perfect all of the time. It’s important that we understand that sometimes things don’t go the way that we planned, and that life just isn’t always like it is in the movies!
Be kind to yourself, plan ahead, and recognise that Christmas can be a really stressful time of the year.
*Collaborative post.
