How to Survive the Holidays in Comfort: Tips for Relaxation and Rest for Moms

Article author: Iveta Bartošová

Christmas holidays should be all about peace and calm, but that is not the case in many households. It is probably due to society’s pressure on what all should be done during this period - a big Christmas clean-up, Christmas decorations in every room and lights around the house, baked cookies, eggnog made, stocked up on supplies, meals cooked every day, visits to relatives, a gift for everyone, etc. Some people thrive on this and enjoy the Christmas rush, but many are often fed up and put extremely high demands on themselves in order to meet society’s expectations. So how can you do it differently so that it is truly relaxing and mothers can relax too?

Holidays in comfort and peace

First of all, it is good to realize that if you bake fewer kinds of cookies, don’t have Christmas decorations all over the house, and order food for a day or thaw some out, you can have a peaceful holiday. It is not about the material things, but about the energy we have around us and whether we feel good in it all. So what should you focus on:

• cleaning - don’t do a full-scale cleaning of the whole house (you can do that anytime during the year), just do the basic tidying up of the essentials and ask the other members of the household to help too, so it gets done faster and you can enjoy your time off together;
• children - take advantage of the fact that dad is home during the holidays and can spend more time with the children, so you have more time for yourself and your needs;
• ask for help - ask grandmothers, grandfathers, or aunts to help with childcare so that you and your partner can have a little time to yourselves;
• visits - limit visits to only the most necessary ones or shorten them so you can enjoy some of your own time off and not spend the whole day going from one visit to another;
• don’t overdo it with food - there is no need to eat all the cookies and potato salad on the table; just taste a little of everything and pace yourself;
• go outside - a walk is always a good idea, especially in the woods, in the mountains, or in the park, somewhere the birds are singing and you can, so to speak, switch your head off;
• winter activities - if there is plenty of snow or a hard frost, you can go sledding, build a snowman, have a snowball fight, or go ice skating with the whole family.

How a mother can relax during the holidays

If her husband takes the children out or entertains them in any way, it may seem tempting to start cleaning, but that won’t replenish the mother’s resources so she can feel content and keep functioning with ease. It is necessary to let go of the phrase - work first, fun later - and go for the fun first, because then there will be much more desire to do the work around the household. So she can relax like this:

• go to the cinema or to the theater;
• go to the pool, sauna, or wellness with a friend;
• turn on the TV and enjoy a relaxing time with fairy tales; feel free to even have a little cry, it helps the body relax more;
• no social networks - unfortunately, they are just a time sink that gives us very little in return;
• put on an eye mask or a full-face mask and just lie down;
• play your favorite music and relax, sing, or dance;
• light a candle, have a warm drink (coffee/tea/hot chocolate), and pick up a book or listen to an interesting podcast;
• take a long bath without being disturbed by the children;
• use the time for sport - running, swimming, yoga, whatever you enjoy;
• time for handcrafts - sewing, knitting, crocheting, paper crafts, etc.

In short

Christmas holidays are often not about comfort and peace, which many families do not like. If you also don’t feel good in the pre-Christmas rush, then you can change it. There is no need to do a full-scale clean-up; dad or grandma and grandpa can take care of the children. You do not have to go to every visit, and you can leave earlier and enjoy your time off. Spending time outside will be great too, whether just on a walk or going to a pond to skate or a hill to sled. Then mom can relax with a cup of hot tea, with a book, take a bath, put on an eye mask, or go to the cinema and wellness. 

How is it in your home? More hustle or more peace? Do you know how to relax not only during the holidays?