WRITER Emily Cope, 29, finds the festive season one of the most stressful times of year.
Here she explains why she’s looking forward to a socially distanced holiday.
“My mouth hurts from fake smiling, I’ve drunk so much mulled wine over the past month my liver is slowly starting to pickle, and if I hear Mariah Carey playing one more time I might scream.
All I can think about is swapping my party dress for cosy pyjamas and snuggling up on the sofa. But if I don’t jam-pack my diary with tonnes of social events, constantly have a drink in my hand and splash hundreds of pounds on presents every December, I’ll be called a Scrooge. Why? Because… it’s Christmaaas.
Every year it’s the same, and every year I’m exhausted, broke and, let’s be honest, a little bit rounder by Boxing Day –and I’m not alone. Two in five Brits find the festive season stressful, while one in four feel depressed. Plus, the average UK family have five arguments on Christmas Day.
On top of that, more than three-quarters of us are worried about the cost of the festivities, with many getting into debt just to celebrate. So, it’s no surprise almost half would rather skip Christmas altogether.
The good news? This year you can! While last month the government announced that up to three households can form a Christmas bubble from December 23 to 27, tier restrictions mean the majority of our usual socialising is out – and like many people, I will be following Boris’ advice not to travel or see more people than necessary.
On Christmas Eve I usually fly to Jersey to stay with my parents Kim, 60, and Peter, 63, as well as my sister, Ash, 32.
But as my fiancé Chris, 31, and I can’t travel back without then having to quarantine for five days – which would take Christmas claustrophobia to a whole new level – we’ll be forced to stay in our London flat alone. And we couldn’t be happier.
Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of Christmas I enjoy. I love a festive film – I’d watchHome Alone every day if I could – plus a few merry drinks can be fun. But at Christmas it’s never just the one drink, or the one party, and every year my social calendar leaves me in a cold sweat.
Anxiety UK advises we don’t take on too much, saying: “If you don’t feel up to getting together with friends for what sometimes feels like ‘mandatory merry making’ and would prefer to have a quiet night in, don’t feel guilty.” But pre-2020, it was almost impossible to say no to the constant festivities.
Back home on December 25, despite us all being fully grown adults, I’m still pulled from my bed at an ungodly hour to open presents I don’t need, before being coerced into calling every single one of my relatives to wish them a Merry Christmas.
Then there’s lunch. During the year, my family gets on like a house on fire, but Christmas Day is different. By 12pm Mum is stressing over the turkey while yelling at Dad for not helping, and my sister is moaning at me as she continues to overcook the sprouts.
Come 3pm, our household has descended into chaos. The potatoes are undercooked or burnt, my dad is counting down the minutes until he can retreat to the pub, and if my sister chats back to me one more time I’ll probably throw my plate at her.
We go along with the same routine every year because it’s tradition, but as someone who values time alone, I always end up feeling burnt out by Boxing Day.
That’s why, this year, I’ll be wholly embracing a Covid Christmas.
Not only are we banned from attending parties, but Covid provides the perfect excuse for ducking out of unnecessary socialising.
This year, there will be no awkward small talk at parties for me, no being peer-pressured into having “just one drink” and no family arguments.
This Christmas Day, Chris and l will be enjoying a long lie-in, tucking into whatever we fancy for lunch, be it pasta or a cheese board.
In the evening, I’ll be curling up on the sofa and choosing what I want to watch on TV, while scoffing a big box of chocs. If I don’t fancy drinking, I won’t. If I want to stay in my pyjamas all day without brushing my hair, then I can.
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Of course, I’m not going to ignore my family. As none of us are seeing each other face to face, we’ve organised Secret Santa and scheduled a Zoom chat so we can open our presents together. After that, I’ll be logging off for the rest of the day.
The best bit? All the money I’ll be saving on drinks and presents, I’m putting towards a holiday as soon as I’m allowed.
So you may call me Scrooge, but after a hellish 2020, all I want for Christmas is peace and quiet.