Love it or hate it, Christmas is here. With it, comes the inescapable sense of expectation that it is going to be the perfect day, in the perfect setting, and with the perfect gifts. Reality, however, often has other ideas. After the unwrapping of presents in the morning, come the huge meal, and then the age-old tradition of watching television for the rest of the day, in a state of self-induced food-coma. But Christmas Day need not be a stale, repetitive day filled with unfulfilled expectations and frustration. Here are five easy ways that you can make it all worth the hype.
Five Ways To Make Christmas Day Worth The Hype
1. Exercise in the morning
The words ‘exercise’ and ‘Christmas Day’ may seem like an oxymoron at first. Nevertheless, as well as helping you feel less guilty about the vast amounts of food that you are about to consume, exercise can also help to reduce the sense of paranoia and boredom that accompanies being in the same place for too long.
Even if the weather is miserable, it is worth heading outside for a little while on Christmas Day. Heading out as part of a group of people can be a unique bonding experience, and it sets the tone for the rest of the day. So, if somebody in your group is giving off the wrong kind of vibes during your early morning run, then it is not too late to book them on the first train home!
2. Play a board game
With the rise of smartphones and apps, it seems as though board games are being confined to the history books as lost relics of the pre-internet age. To lose board games as a method of social interaction and of having a laugh would be like losing a part of one’s conscience. Things just would not be the same, and mankind would suffer.
Christmas Day is the perfect time to revive the soon-to-be-lost art of board games, like Cluedo, Risk, and Monopoly. These games offer the perfect outlet for that typical inter-family competitiveness, and they are a great way to switch off from the constant demands that social media and the Internet place on us.
3. Go on a road trip
Spending Christmas Day with family does not necessarily have to go hand in hand with being home all day. In fact, with roads and towns quiet after the Christmas Eve rush, Christmas Day could be the best time to go on a family road trip. Sufficient planning will need to be made regarding the destination, and provisions will need to be made for the lack of open shops and available facilities on the way. Nonetheless, a Christmas Day road trip would surely give Christmas a sense of adventure that it has often lacked.
4. Start and finish the day in different places
Colombian designer, Haider Ackermann, recently told Esquire UK magazine that he feels most at home while traveling. Ackermann had a nomadic upbringing, being born in Colombia, but raised in Ethiopia, France, and Holland. Us mere mortals may not have had the same fascinating upbringing as Ackermann, but we can still learn from the man who is now Creative Director at the Italian luxury fashion designer, Berluti.
For instance, why not begin Christmas Day in one place, and then finish it in another? We often say how our ultimate aim is to spend Christmas with those we love. By moving from one set of relatives/friends to another on Christmas Day, you can ensure that you spend Christmas with the people that are closest to you and that you do not hang around long enough to annoy each other. Travelling to multiple places on Christmas Day is the perfect solution to missing your loved ones, and it ensures that you do not get bored in the process. Thank you, Mr. Ackermann.
5. Stay Away From Tradition
It seems a little ironic to write this as a Brit, but Christmas Day traditions are not worth upholding, in the long run. ‘Traditions’ are a vague term, but in this case, they refer to any action or habit that is repeated on Christmas Day purely because it is Christmas, rather than for everybody’s enjoyment. As is the case with anything else, traditions need to be modernized and updated, and choosing to repeat things every Christmas Day simply because it seemingly adds to a fictitious sense of continuity, is wrong.
As Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, famously said: “The only thing that is constant is change”. Why should Christmas Day be any different? Try out something new each year, and if it does not work, then change it next year. It is all part of the experience.
Hopefully, these five tips will help to make your Christmas Days better, however, you choose to celebrate them. Lastwordonsports.com Life would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
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