List.

I’m just going to brain-vomit a bunch of stuff that may or may not be of useful over the next few days.

▪️ Your boundaries still apply at Christmas.

▪️ Your boundaries apply to your family, even if your parents believe they have the right to access all parts of your life and soul because they birthed you.

▪️ It’s perfectly acceptable to have Yorkshire Puddings with your Christmas dinner.

▪️ Remember to drink some water. I’ve had cystitis on Christmas night and Boxing Day and it’s no fun trying to get help over the holidays.

▪️ If you get a present you don’t like and the person who gave it to you offers you the gift receipt, take it.

▪️ Getting your family ready to do anything - a quiz, a walk, sit down for dinner, sit down to open presents - will take longer than a game of Trivial Pursuits.

▪️ In case you’d forgotten, today is Friday and tomorrow is Saturday. After that, you won’t need to worry what day it is until January 4th (which by the way is a Tuesday).

▪️ The turkey will always be dry, the Brussels sprouts will always be mushy and you’ll leave something in the oven and forget about it.

▪️ Forget what every other wanker is sharing on instagram on Christmas Day.

▪️ Go out right now and buy a bunch AA batteries and AAA batteries.

▪️ Before you open presents make sure you know where the above batteries are and grab a hammer, screwdriver, a bunch of bin bags and and a strong coffee/drink.

▪️ Just a reminder that you’ll think a Christmas Day walk will be lovely. It won’t be. The kids will cry. It’ll be nut-crunchingly cold and the pub will be busy AF.

▪️ You should deffo still do the walk though because it's good for you, you’ll need the fresh air, it’ll knacker the kids out and you’ll make more room for mince pies.

▪️You don’t have to like mince pies. They’re gross.

▪️As Steph of Don’t Buy Her Flowers game says, naps save lives. Take the nap.

▪️Find a reason to have 30 mins by yourself. Lie if you need to but take time for you.

▪️It’s ok if you find Christmas Day hard rather than heavenly. It’s ok if you find family triggering rather than traditionally cosy.

▪️From someone doing her first sober Christmas, know that you don’t have to get absolutely shitfaced. You can, of course, if you want to.

▪️Don’t stress yourself out with writing thank you letters. Take a pic of your kid with the gift and text them.

▪️When you’re about to lose your shit, stop and do a mental gratitude list. If that doesn’t work then scream into a christmas stocking.

Finally…

▪️ Whatever feelings your feeling about Christmas Day, know that you are never the only one. Never ever. You’re special but you’re not that special.

Cat x