Heave-ho ho to stress
Experts take hassles out of festivities
END-OF-YEAR holidays can be a joyous time spent with friends and loved ones.
But Christmas gatherings at home can also easily turn into logistical nightmares, quickly sapping festive fun levels.
One way to combat stress over the holiday season is to leave the hard work to the professionals and eat at a restaurant, hotel or other venue.
Red Beret Hotel general manager Jeanine Cooke said with school-aged children home for the holidays for a number of weeks, getting out of the house was a good way to save everybody’s sanity.
“The kids are at home full time for the next several weeks, so parents are going to have their hands full keeping them amused all day,” Ms Cooke said.
She said the hotel provided a child-friendly environment, so both adults and kids could make the most of their outing.
“Christmas Day especially is for all the family, so why should parents have to be in the kitchen cooking and cleaning?” she said.
“We do all the cooking, the cleaning and parents can relax while the kids are occupied with the playground, Xboxes and iPads,” she said.
She said booking venues ahead of time also helped to combat stress during the busy festive period.
“When we do get busy, we get very busy, and if we have bookings we can ensure we have the allocated staff,” she said.
“It also helps us manage the service and everyone doesn’t turn up and order at the same time.”
She said booking as soon as possible for functions would also help avoid disappointment, as venues filled up fast over the holidays.
“We have had several Christmas functions already at Madisons (Red Beret function rooms) and the feedback we are getting is really positive. “
She said while there was limited availability from now up until Christmas, particularly on the weekends, the hotel would aim to assist with any last-minute requests.
Ms Cooke said her top tips for enjoying a stress-free Christmas were to “wake up, enjoy a light breakfast, spend time with those you love” and then leave the rest to the professionals.
All this week, The Cairns Post is offering readers discounts on a range of goods and services to help make their Christmas easy. See Page 2 for today’s discount coupon. THE Atherton Landfill will shut down until December 28 in order for a number of construction improvements to get under way.
The site currently has no ability to access mulch or to drop off green waste, steel or general landfill waste – but domestic recyclable and household waste are still able to be received. As an alternative, green waste and steel can be taken to the Herberton Transfer Station on Syme Rd, Herberton.