Most wonderful time of the year… or fraught with stress?

CHRISTMAS is upon us and while, for some, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year, others see the holiday season as stressful or a nightmare to endure.

Capetonians spoke to Weekend Argus about some of the challenges they face over the period and shared their advice and thoughts about dealing with the stress of planning a successful Christmas.

While some took a darker tone, when speaking about the holiday, most see it as a time for renewed celebration.

Nicola Williams said that she would be channelling her inner Scrooge over the festive period and gave a bleak outlook on the holiday.

“Retail has destroyed the Christmas holiday. Seriously, and not just the retail sector. Everywhere I look on Facebook, people have Christmas countdown posts on their pages, adverts on TV etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Christmas holiday as much as everyone else but is it really necessary to start it in October? I don’t want Christmas crammed down my throat. It’s so annoying to be walking through a store and into aisles that have been set up with Christmas decorations and cheap toys and gifts way before October has even ended.”

She added that she is so sick of carols by the time Christmas comes around, “I just want to shove earplugs into my ears and curl up in the foetal position until the end of January”.

In stark contrast, Chrissy Smith said that she greatly enjoyed Christmas and looked forward to it every year.

“I love the festive season. I plan way ahead, which includes the lunch and gifts. For me it’s still the season of giving and I love the endless wrapping of gifts, the setting-up of the Christmas tree and having my family around me. I love midnight mass. I love Christmas carols and the joy I feel when I sing them. I love Christmas morning, gathered around opening gifts while we sip on coffee and indulge in some Christmas cake,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest conundrum is over the presents. What do you buy for your loved ones and friends? How much should be spent on a gift and what do you gift someone that has it all?

Gillian Bush and Tammi Dooley have some helpful hints: “We ask our teens what they want. Instead of buying gifts for each other, my hubby and I buy a big family gift. One year it was a camera, another a tent, a camping fridge, video camera, Nintendo Wii, anything that enhances family time. None of the frantic shopping stress for us,” said Bush.

Dooley is one of seven children and said that she discovered that the best thing to buy male siblings is clothes.

“I would buy brothers pellet guns and my sister dolls and then, as they reached legal age, I thought alcohol would work but they would literally only have these gifts for a few days before it was broken or finished. Then I realised what does the average 20-something working male hardly ever buy for himself ? Clothes. My fiancé thinks one pair of shoes is all he needs. So T-shirts and socks go all folded up nicely in a big bag with a reindeer on it and I still see them wearing those clothes the following November and it stops them from constantly wearing old and worn clothing,” said Dooley.

She added that the best part of buying clothes was that she could do it online and skip all the long queues that come with shopping at the mall.

Suzanne Long also advocates online shopping as she believes it relieves the stress of the season. She also believes in making gifts from scratch for a more homely approach.

“Catalogue, click online, buy and deliver. Saves the rush, and the blood pressure. We also make a lot of our gifts because it’s more heartfelt and meaningful.”

While the season brings its stresses, it is a time of coming together and celebrating tradition according to Elvina Haupt. “I celebrate Christ- mas not just because I’m a Christian but because it is my childhood memory, which was passed on to me from my parents and their parents. I do it for my kids because one wants to go back into that time when things were simpler… You want to have family around you and this time of year is kind of the only time as during the year everyone has to work.”

As for the perfect Christmas meal, Brenden Shaw said that a South African classic would be the best route to take. “Probably going to braai with added trimmings. It cuts costs and it’s less stress to prepare .”