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A mum has shared her top tip for keeping 25 December as stress-free as possible, having sworn by the idea of a ‘Christmas morning box’.
Christmas Day can often feel intense for all kinds of reasons, whether it’s the thought of getting that gigantic turkey in the oven or the dread of hardcore family time that lasts several days.
But one mum in Australia thinks she has the perfect trick to help lessen the pressure of the big day, saying it all boils down to getting a few staple items ready up for the morning.
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Posting to Facebook last year, the mum shared pictures of her organised time-saving device, explaining how it helped mitigate stress on Christmas morning.
She said: "Does anyone else have a Christmas morning box?
"I always put one together so I'm not running around on Christmas morning trying to find scissors or batteries!
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"Mine has batteries, scissors, mini screwdrivers and bin bags."
Of course, yours may vary depending on who’ll you have round for Christmas, but no doubt any kids receiving brand new toys will be grateful for the batteries and mini screwdrivers.
Having bin bags handy so that you can whip up any rubbish should also stop the chaos from spilling over.
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Many others people online seemed impressed by the concept, with one commenting: "This is such a great idea, I'll be making one today."
Another added: "Best idea ever. I've spent the past three Christmases scrounging for batteries."
You could also customise yours with whatever might help keep stress at bay, even if it’s just a packet of paracetamol if you end up having a few too many glasses of Christmas Eve Baileys.
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Another parent recently shared her own Christmas trick – this time to make children think they have more presents under the tree than they actually do.
Thrifty mum Vicky Smith - who runs the blog More Than A Mummy — has shared a few tricks and tips on how to stretch those pounds, including what she calls the 'three gift rule'.
"My best thrifty tip for getting lots of gifts for the kids without blowing the budget is to rely on the three gifts rule," she explained.
"They may want a new doll, need a new coat and then I may get them the latest book in a series they have been reading.
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"I also find much of the excitement regarding Christmas is in the presentation — say for example you’ve kitted your child out with everything they need to fill their pencil case for school next term.
"I don’t put everything in the pencil case and then wrap the pencil case. I take everything out and wrap it individually.
"That way they have loads of things to open rather than one big thing.
"You can also make the act of opening the gift more exciting by wrapping up a few mini chocolate bars or bags of sweets to go in their stockings.
"These are cheap, but the kids will love to open them and count up how many they have."
The mum went on to suggest looking for cheaper versions of your children's favourite toys, or turning to Facebook Marketplace or eBay to scout for bargains.
She said: "You can get your child’s most wished for gift at a fraction of the price."
Jess Hardiman