I fkn love me some Christmas. How could you not? Actually, with the traditionally cray stress that comes with organising gifts and having to listen to your weird uncle bang on about his bee farm, I can appreciate where you’re coming from. But if the stress was removed from the equation entirely, then you’re just a dick if you don’t get your festive on.
If there’s one person who knows how to navigate stressful situations it’s The Real Housewives Of Sydney‘s Nicole O’Neil. Yes, Captain Eyebrows has faced her fair share of social shitstorms, so she’s an undeniable authority on surviving Christmas lunch with your family – perhaps the most stress-inducing occasion in the festive season’s catalogue of affairs.
We caught up with her to get some much-needed advice on keeping your shit together on the day, and as expected, she delivered some sound tips. Groupon research shows that 35% of Aussies cope with Christmas stress by drinking lots of wine, and although I’m biased on this front (given that I personally employ this method), Nicole agrees that it’s a pretty decent approach.
I’m a vodka and soda girl, however at Christmas I always drink Swedish glogg – which is traditionally drunk warm, but if the weather is particularly hot we drink it on ice. It is a type of mulled wine served with flaked almonds and currants. To me, it epitomises everything that is Christmas.
Besides getting sloshed, she also believes the key to success is being as organised as humanly possible by sorting everything well and truly ahead of time.
Do as much shopping online as you can so it can be delivered to you directly, as this will ensure there is little hassle closer to the big day. Also wrap your gifts as you buy them, or even better, gift people with experiences, which you know they’ll appreciate and you don’t have to wrap.
Ah, yes, presents. Another dreaded pain point. The whole “will they/won’t they love it” situation is an annual mindfuck.
I find that the better I know someone, the more difficult they are to buy for. I call them the ‘un-giftables’. This year, I am buying them all experiences from Groupon that I know they’ll love. My brothers this year are both getting a Go-Karting experience, my mum is getting some Cryotherapy sessions, and my sister is getting an 8-week dance course.
Not a half bad hustle there, Nicole.
Best of luck this Christmas, folks. You can do it.
