*This is a collaborative post with some tips to help bring the festive season some new life this year*
Feeling tired of the Christmas festive season rush? Most people find Christmas is the same thing year after year, after year. Get the Christmas present list, hope the presents arrive in the sales, get ready for a mad rush to buy all the presents and for goodness sake, don’t forget the food! It’s enough to make the whole season feel like a chore.
So, perhaps it’s time for us all to reshape the way we think about this wonderful time of joy.
Take A Trip Instead Of Buying Presents
What do you want most for Christmas? Don’t answer straight away because the immediate response is probably something like a makeup set or a sparkly diamond ring. Perhaps if you ask the kids, they desperately desire a Porg which, unfortunately, is already quite rare in the shops. You can see an example of the little fellows in the Tweet below.
But is this really what you and your family want? Or are these gifts that will be loved and adored through Christmas day and then quickly forgotten. Even jewellery, if you have too much of it, tends to end up in the box or drawer more than it is actually worn.
Perhaps you should instead consider taking a trip where you’ll be able to celebrate one of the true meanings of Christmas, spending time together as a family. You’re probably thinking, hang on, I don’t have the cash in my account for that? Well, there are options if you don’t have the money right now. According to New Horizons website, you can borrow more than enough for a full family trip.
But where will you go? Well, you could head off to Lapland in Finland if you’re searching for a winter wonder, fun for the whole family. You’ll get to experience sleigh rides and romantic evenings by the fire. After all, there’s no better gift than a white Christmas.
Of course, there’s also no reason why your Christmas trip has to be typically festive. We headed off to Thailand one year and had a remarkable time together with the family celebrating what this time means to us.
Give Presents That Truly Matter
Sure, it’s fun to open little gifts, gadgets and toys on Christmas morning. But you may not need the big presents at all. Instead, you could give something that is straight from the heart. If you have a way with words, you might wish to write a loved one a poem, a sonnet about how much they mean to you.
Or, perhaps you are wonderful with crafts. You would be amazed at how much children, particularly young children, appreciate little handmade gifts. Maybe even more so than the brand new games console or VR headset. These lovely little gifts will be treasured forever and will not be out of date in a couple of years or worse a couple of months.
Play With The Toys The Kids Already Have
It’s a cliche, you’ll probably agree, to say that Christmas isn’t about the presents. But that doesn’t make it any less true, and there’s another possibility that you might want to consider. This could be a brilliant option if you don’t have that much money or you don’t want each member of the family to end up in a different room on Christmas day. Instead of focusing on buying new presents, look for the ones that you were given a long time ago, and make things more fun this festive season.
Board games, remote control cars and even Twister are probably all up in the attic somewhere. Perhaps this season it’s time to get them down and enjoy them once more like a family. 
Sit around and try not to hurl the board across the room as one particular savvy member of the family builds a string of hotels across the Monopoly board. Figure out how on earth you used to get the marbles to stay in Kerplunk or fidget around setting up Mouse Trap. The best part of toys like this, of course, is that it keeps the whole family together on that special day.
Buy Something Big You Can All Enjoy
On the other hand, similar to a trip it might just be a matter of buying something that you all really enjoy that will have lasting appeal. Perhaps you would like to invest in a swimming pool. It might be expensive but just think of all the summers of fun you could have. The Dolphin Pools website might be a place to start looking if this idea interests you.
These are just some of the possibilities when you forget the Christmas rush and rethink the season. You don’t have to count the gifts in the sack or even have the full traditional celebration. This year, why not celebrate Christmas the way you want and the way your family will enjoy the most and make the festive season work for you this year?