“Treat Christmas like any other work task”

Sophie Attwood, 34, is the founder and CEO of SA Communications. She’s a mum of one and lives in Cheshire

“One thing that really helps me cope with the Christmas load is treating it like any other high-pressure season in my career,” she tells The Village at Stylist. “I completely streamline it. I batch the big tasks early in December, such as school things, extracurricular clubs, etc, so they’re done in one focused window rather than tackling them as they come. I also front-load the diary with the things that genuinely matter to me before other things start flooding in. Everything else has to fit around those non-negotiables.

“Another key thing I’ve done is use a shared family calendar so we’re all aligned on who’s doing what and when, which massively reduces the invisible mental load. ‘It’s in the calendar’ is probably my most-used phrase right now.”

“Get comfortable with Christmas being ‘good enough’”

Chantel Hayward, 40, is the founder of Fox & Fable, a coaching platform for creative leaders. She has two children (aged 11 and 8) and lives in Hertfordshire

“One thing that really helps me with the Christmas load is deciding in advance what actually matters for our family and letting the rest be ‘good enough’. I have two children, so it is easy to get sucked into doing all the things: matching PJs, visiting Santa at the Grotto, Christmas arts and crafts, the panto, festive ice skating… the activities are endless. So now we choose three non-negotiables (this year it is breakfast with Santa, a cinema trip to see Home Alone and spending time with family) and everything else is optional. This means we are happy to say no to extra plans that just create more stress, and the children still feel all of the Christmas magic, but I am not exhausted by making it all happen.”

“Laugh it off: there’s always next year”

Lisa Smosarski, 49, is Stylist’s editorial director. She has three children (aged 15, 13 and 9) and lives in Hertfordshire

“When I was a teenager, my mum gave me her copy of How To Survive Christmas by Jilly Cooper, an acerbic look at the emotional load Christmas takes on women. I’d read it every December as a treat, in the same way I now religiously watch The Holiday while wishing Jude Law would whisk me away from the mysteriously empty bottle of Baileys and the pile of gifts that still need to be wrapped. But it was only when I became a mum that I actually understood why Jilly Cooper was recommending getting smashed on cooking sherry and garrotting family members with tinsel garlands. Up to that point, Christmas wasn’t about ‘survival’; it was one lovely long sit on the sofa with waiter service. It turns out Christmas as a parent is a whole different ball game.

“As I approach my 14th Christmas as a mum, here’s the advice I gleaned on handling the Christmas load by reading that book so many times.

1) Reserve some time on the sofa when others bring you things (even if it’s just Deliveroo). You deserve to watch The Holiday without interruption, and nothing bad will happen if you give yourself two hours of joy.

2) Laugh it off. A couple of years ago, I took my premium turkey out of the fridge on Christmas morning, peeled open the plastic and was met with the unforgettable aroma of rotting meat. It was so hideous that a child ran out of the room gagging. Did it matter? Not one bit. I left my husband with a load of gifts that needed batteries and went for a lovely little drive on my own to find a replacement. I thanked my lucky stars as a vegetarian that I hadn’t cooked it anyway, unsure what a raw turkey should smell like. In the end, I found a chicken in a local petrol station (on sale, not wandering about) and we made a new memory – in fact, it’s probably the only Christmas dinner my kids can remember.

3) Finally, if it all goes wrong, hold onto the fact that there’s always next year.”

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