So last week we talked about planning your gifts for your friends and how to show through gifting that they are important to you, special and worth the time and effort. Now the second week of December has rolled around (already!!) it is time to start planning the get togethers to exchange the gifts.
So, my first suggestion is a café or restaurant, if you can get a booking. This removes the stress of anyone having to host the event, cater and clean up before and after. Unless you love hosting, some people do; and that is their way of showing love and care. I love those people. But I am not one of them, so a restaurant or café works better for me personally. Except, as mentioned earlier, bookings are hard to come by not to mention the price tag at an already expensive time of year.
Which brings me to my next suggestion. If you live in Australia, or other parts of the world with nice summer weather at Christmas, a picnic in the park is a great idea. Everyone brings a plate, and those who can’t get a sitter can bring the kids. You can get someone’s father to dress as Father Christmas and make a whole CHEAP event out of it. One of the pro’s of living in Australia, although I admit snow is more festive! What if you do live in a place where Christmas falls in winter, I hear you ask?
Good question! Usually, community halls can be rented for a small fee, a church space, a library conference room or even better an indoor playground?
Now, it is not lost on me that with the pandemic very much still all around us, that many of you are suffering lockdowns and social distancing. Of course, there is the standard group calls, facetime and group chats. And those can be just as good because nobody has to get out of their pj’s or their warm bed if you live in cold places in order to socialise.
If you cannot meet in person, for whatever reason, maybe make a game where each person has to guess your perfect gift idea then you post it after they have guessed. Alternatively, if they do not live alone, it is a great idea to post it to someone they live with and ask them to hide the gift somewhere in their house and you will give them clues over the phone until they find it.
Of course, this is much more about the time, the conversation and the connections than the gifts. So with everyone chatting it could be an ideal time to each share a family recipe followed by special memories of the dish over the years. Like the dumpling my mum used to make with a hidden coin inside, everyone wanted to find the $2! Haha It was a family favourite and brings back fond memories. Most people have a dish that brings a story to mind.
If cooking isn’t your thing, sharing wrapping tips, decorating or crafting or exchanging gift ideas for parents, children, partners and coworkers is usually useful. Not that you need my suggestions for topics of conversation, but the point is to have at least one point of discussion on the festivities that is positive, because we tend to get bogged down in the responsibilities of it all and forget the joy. It is meant to be a celebration.
And there are still ways you can work together as a team. Maybe you are really great at making wreaths and your friend bakes a mean Christmas cake…. Can you make 2 of each and find a way to swap one for the other?
Christmas can be a stressful time of year, so let your friends be the people who bring some joy and cheer back into it. Send each other “Elf Yourself” videos or funny Christmas memes, sing bad karaoke to classic Christmas tunes or even just plan the perfect Christmas catch up that you WILL host as soon as you can even if that is August!
Give your friends the gift of your time and attention this year. Give them a smile, hope, something to look forward to and help each other remember this is a celebration even if it feels different.
So, go get planning your get togethers, future or present, and make it festive, fun and funny!
❤ Love,
Your Best Friend ForNever
xx
