Baby boomers, especially Moms, are up there with Santa’s Elves when it comes to getting an enormous number of tasks completed in time for Christmas.  The countdown starts in November, somewhere between Halloween and New Years and each day there seems to be a Christmas blind panic moment as we realise we have forgotten to order, buy, ice or stuff something in preparation for the big day.

Christmas is always a special family time and it is easy to understand why everyone loves the twinkling lights; Christmas roses; the smell of mince pies baking on an icy cold day; a roaring and welcoming fire wafting the aroma of cinnamon and pine through the house; snow falling; Christmas carols and dozens of brightly wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree.

These things don’t just arrive by auto-suggestion, unfortunately: someone has to make the effort to shop and organise and cook and arrange the hundreds of elements that go into a successful family Christmas and deal with the disasters along the way.  That someone is usually you! 

Retail marketing experts know exactly where our buttons are and start to push them in September when the first tentative boxes of Christmas crackers appear next to the check out in the supermarket, forcing us to mentally schedule the Christmas agenda of tasks to be completed.  For many baby boomers, Christmas entails booking flights for elderly relatives; arranging for train connections and airport pickups and decorating the guest room in time to receive Christmas visitors.  The ‘to do’ shopping list is endless!

One of the uglier aspects of Christmas shopping is the ‘proxy gift buying’ that goes on in so many families – Mom buys gifts for Grandma on behalf of the kids; gifts for the kids on behalf of Dad; gifts for Aunt Mabel on behalf of everyone else and the worst – gifts for herself from Dad!  This is absolutely the saddest moment of Christmas when baby boomer Mom is sent out to buy her own gift from her husband – ‘yeah whatever you want, Hon, you know what you like’ (Creep…)

This Christmas, think of the effort Mom puts in for everyone and take the ten minutes to buy her something thoughtful and have it nicely wrapped: it’s the least you should do.  Teach younger family members the importance of thoughtful gift giving; it will stay with them forever.

At what should be one of the more joyful times of the year, so many family arguments and disagreements color the holidays for baby boomer Moms who spend half their time in diplomatic arbitration between the in laws and the children or the husband and the mother in law, or whomever… Christmas brings out the best and the worst in just about everyone but if a mature effort is made by all, family gatherings can be enriching and enjoyable. Those who take the opportunity to air family grievances at Christmas need to rethink their priorities and remember there are some people who have to spend every Christmas alone.

The designer Christmas tree is usually a bone of contention at this time of year.  In so many homes, the children are prohibited from going anywhere near the perfectly arranged Christmas tree with its Versace or Swarovski crystal baubles that cost a small fortune.  Some have a ‘designated’ Christmas tree for children; solely theirs to decorate with their childish paper chains and home made gingerbread decorations, with a separate tree for everyone else to be pretentious about.  Ugh!  Not the spirit of Christmas but it works for some!

One of the greatest Christmas cooking tips of all time is: eat out.  Just kidding… It is easier for baby boomer mothers with a large family to schedule Christmas dinner for the evening rather than the traditional lunchtime or mid afternoon banquet.  This gives more preparation hours, allowing small gaps for playing board games with the kids; opening gifts; imbibing a festive cocktail or two and generally enjoying the Christmas cheer the rest of the family take for granted.  Be careful how many cocktails you consume on an empty stomach though, especially if you want to avoid napalming the turkey by accidentally grilling instead of roasting!

Delegation is everything: involve the rest of the family, right down to the youngest, in preparing the Christmas feast, even if it is only washing a few vegetables; setting and clearing the table or folding napkins. Make it clear that shirkers will be severely dealt with and resolve to abolish baby boomer Christmas slavery once and for all!

Young children can be a handful on Christmas day.  Around two o’clock, childish tempers become frayed and this is usually the result of being too tired, too warm and too hungry.  Most children stay up far too late (Santa watching) on Christmas Eve, resulting in broken sleep and over tiredness.  Make the effort to ensure that little kids are taken out for some exercise and that their tummies are topped up with some nourishing sandwiches if there is a long wait until dinner. Detail someone to take them out with the dogs for a walk and to work up a good appetite!

To keep the party atmosphere sweet, try to separate a play area for very young children so that elderly guests can have a little peace and quiet.  In smaller homes this is not always possible but most people have a bedroom or den where youngsters can play with their new and noisy acquisitions without deafening everyone else. 

A word of caution: Christmas food is yummy but if you overeat and drink too much you are likely to miss out on so much Christmas fun by having to sleep through the rest of the party. Snacking throughout the day and following up with enough food to feed a small country is asking for trouble for digestive systems of all ages!

A warm home with plenty of love in it – try this perfect and timeless recipe for an outstanding Christmas, this and every year…