Hi there,

By this stage of December, no doubt your ears have been assaulted with every Christmas carol known to man (x 100), your Inbox is crammed with CHRISTMAS SAVINGS and your kids have been getting on each others nerves since school ended for the year...

There are many, many stories and societal beliefs about how Christmas "should be" and honestly, it can be easy to get caught up in all of that. Thing is, the way people celebrate and even feel about Christmas varies wildly from family to family, person to person.

Maybe you slave away at a hot stove all day only for your Mother in Law to announce that they booked in for a great last minute deal at a fancy restaurant for Christmas. Or perhaps you've been running around trying to keep the peace between crusty old Uncle Bob and your Mum, only to find that you totally missed Granny having a few too many sherries and now she's doing the can-can on the Christmas table. Possibly you spend the weeks and months leading up to Christmas madly finding meaningful gifts for your kids and partner, only to discover not one person thought to put the same effort in for you...

At the end of the day, what is really important to you? Is it spending quality time with your kids? Savouring Christmas with Great Aunt Ethel because it might be one of a dwindling number of Christmases she'll be around for? Connecting with your closest friends on Christmas day instead, because your family drives you mad?

Choose the Christmas that you want, not the one that the advertisements and the shopping malls and the Christmas movies tell you to have. That's the road to shattered Christmas dreams...

Be kind to yourself this Christmas Mumma!

Chat soon,

Michelle

"Let's make a difference together, one party at a time."