When I'm feeling more frazzled than festive, this is how I get back in touch with my Christmas spirit

Amanda Jones is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on sustainable living and decorating a home in way that is good for the environment. See the rest of her articles here.

Its December 23, you’re almost there. Most of the gifts have been bought, although there’s still a few last minute things you need to pick up from the shops (its amazing how much those last minute things cost!), you’ve still lots to wrap, but you’ll fit that in around the drinks event you said you’d go to, and of course there’s the big food shop, and the children’s Christmas eve box to sort (when did that become a thing?).

Your brain is frazzled, and you dare not look at your bank account. But it is Christmas, and isn’t it supposed to be like this?

It’s funny though, despite all this effort, you somehow don’t feel as Christmassy as you remember, you feel exhausted, and in the back of your head, it niggles you just how commercial your Christmas has become. So maybe you just need to get back in touch with your Christmas Spirit, which is what I'm doing right now too...

A letter to my Christmas Spirit

Dear Christmas Spirit,

How are you? It’s been a while since we caught up, I’m afraid life has got quite hectic over the last few decades, and we kind of lost touch. I miss you. I was thinking the other day how much fun we used to have together, it was truly magical wasn’t it, seemed much simpler somehow.

Can you remember when we used to decorate our home, ready for Father Christmas? I loved decorating the tree with you, it wasn’t a big tree, but it was jam packed full of memories. Every single decoration we put on the branches was special, each had their own stories. Can you remember how we used to repeat the stories every year, our tradition. Some were over a hundred years old and very fragile, we used to unwrap them from their tissue blankets, and marvel at their gorgeousness.

Oh, my goodness, can you remember the fiasco we had each year with the Christmas lights, they always seemed to be in such a tangle, and we had to twist each bulb to make them work. The relief we felt when they worked. It was lovely though wasn’t it, we popped a few little Christmas decorations on the fireplace, hung up the stockings, and there was that lovely little advent candle we popped in the window, lit the house up lovely at night, didn’t it.

Christmas Spirit, things are a bit different these days. I decorate three trees, festoon two fireplaces, install garlands of greenery and ribbons, (it’s a thing this year, apparently) down two flights of stairs, and then string thousands of lights up and over our house and up the very large tree at the end of the drive (luckily this year the usual a&e visit was avoided).

I start all this mid-November, just to make sure it’s done on time. Each year we feel compelled to change everything so it’s a bit different from the previous year, to ensure it stays fresh and ‘elevated’ (whatever that means). For example, now there’s something called ‘The Ralph Lauren Christmas’, which looks suspiciously like all those lovely Christmas decorations I decluttered fifteen years ago because everyone started having ‘colour themed’ decorations, and my old ones didn’t quite fit into the ‘look’. What on earth was I thinking?!

Oh and that lovely little advent calendar my mum got us each year, my sister and I used to take it in turns opening the door each day, to see what the little picture was each behind it, was it going to be an angel or a Christmas cracker? The excitement if your opening day landed on Christmas eve, the most special picture, invariably baby Jesus in a manger, but it didn’t matter, because you felt like you’d won the lottery.

Now my children have their own advent calendar, no sharing required. It wasn’t so bad they were little and there was a piece of chocolate behind the door, but these days advent calendars seem to require a new toy, a gift-wrapped book (that one nearly finished me off!), or an item of personal hygiene, to even count. I miss the picture ones, don’t you, (although I can appreciate the ecological impact of the glitter that they were liberally sprinkled with, not such a good idea).

Christmas Spirit, things are so much busier these days, I miss our old days when you could literally decorate the house in an hour or two, or an afternoon if the lights were terribly tangled. I miss the days when you just went to WHSmith (even that’s gone) and picked up an advent calendar off a hook…and don’t get me started on how crazy gift giving has gone, (although I did read an interesting article lately about Intentional Gift Giving, which might alleviate some of the pressure).

Anyway, I’ve been thinking, I might scale things back a little bit next year. Maybe do a little less decorating? A little bit less of everything really. Christmas doesn’t feel as exciting as it did, I want to capture some of the magic again. So, what do you say Christmas Spirit, fancy popping over next December, and helping me find it again?

Your Loving Friend xxx

Why I'm dialling back on Christmas just a touch

A few years ago, I decided to dial back a bit on Christmas. I was feeling particularly exhausted, and despondent with how commercial it has become. It was hard to see the true meaning of this time of year, in all the mad rush and pressure. I do enough festive decorating for my home to feel special, I buy a bit less and make better, more intentional choices with what I do buy. We have some lovely food and treats, without going over the top. I do a little bit going out, and a bit more watching Christmas movies with the family. over the last few years I feel I’ve captured once again, the magic and excitement I felt as a child.

If you feel it’s all getting a bit too much, maybe in 2026, try to simplify your Christmas, just a bit, and get back in touch with your Christmas Spirit.