Ah, Christmas. There’s no other time of year that immediately sparks both joy and tension. Lots of delicious food. Buying, prepping and cooking the food. Enjoying a glass of mulled wine or a devilish chocolate Baileys. Suffering the after-effects and calorie consumption. Exchanging thoughtful gifts. The torture that goes into buying said gifts. Time at home with family. Also, time at home with family.
But before you get yourself into an anxiety-induced spiral, we’re here to help. Read on for our top five tips on how to do Christmas, like a pro:
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It pays to be organised – especially at Christmas.
Whilst you are king and queen organisers (that’s why you are smashing your job), the festive season – particularly in London – can get very hectic quite easily. From office parties to gift shopping, from secret santa to client lunches… Suddenly everyone’s back to their most social selves again – exactly at the time you have a million things on your to-do list! Fret not. We recommend the app ManageChristmas to organise the gifting side of your to-do list. It’s so nifty, you can organise presents by recipients or bosses, colour-code them, and set budgets to keep track of your spending. Each present has a status to it too, so you can either set it to “unbought”, “bought”, “wrapped” or “sent”. Honestly, this is a godsend.
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Learn to say no.
As the gatekeeper in the business, you get swamped with meeting requests and invitations to lunches or coffees enough as it is. So at Christmastime, you can expect this to triple! Here’s a revolutionary way to handle the inundation: you can actually just say no. Sure, it would be polite to show your face and maybe you’ll have a good time, but your energy is more important – particularly with all the running around you already do! Set personal rules like only meeting for coffee first thing in the morning, so you have the rest of the day to get on and focus, or only social gatherings after work, so that it doesn’t take over your life! If you have late events, it pays to book a Havn in advance to make sure you get home safe and sound after the merriments!
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Don’t go overboard
Ok, we’re obviously not going to be so Scrooge-like to tell you not to enjoy yourself over the holidays, of course! If there’s one time of year to indulge and not feel guilty about it, it’s certainly at Christmas. However, indulging is one thing, and eating or drinking to excess is another. Sure, enjoy a mince pie and wash it down with some mulled wine – but don’t go the whole hog!
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Delegate.
There is A LOT to do around the holidays. Shopping, socialising, ice skating, sending greetings cards, cooking, entertaining, decorating… The list goes on. The same philosophy to combat this applies to your working life: know what you’re good at, and delegate the rest. Can’t gift wrap to save your life? Most stores offer this for free anyway, but if you still need help there’s That’s A Wrap gift wrapping services around London and Essex. Can’t bear the thought of facing crowded shops and waiting for hours in the queue? Shop online or hire an assistant.
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Embrace and enjoy it!
Sure, parts of the Christmas responsibilities may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a magical time of year that only comes around once! Enjoy the fun, and turn the arduous tasks into fun activities you can actually look forward to. Shopping spree planned? Book a Havn for a few hours so you’re doing it in luxury, and sneak in a fun little ice-skate or a wine-tasting session in between! (Instead of a single journey select hourly on the app homepage and you can block-book a few hours – min. 2, max. 8 for the chauffeur to be on call, or “as directed”).
We hope these pieces of advice help you to not only master the art of Christmas, but to take it all in your stride and actually make the most of the festive season! For any transport alleviations, you can count on Havn, available on both iOS and Android, as well as the online booking portal for corporates.
Happy holidays!
Find out more about Havn by visiting the link here.
