Life as a SEN mum

The Christmas season is fast approaching, in fact many markets are starting to open already and let’s face it shops and garden centres have been prepared since late summer. It’s a magical time, but can be stressful and overwhelming at the same time.

I did cover this last year, but I think it’s important to just put a little reminder out that Christmas doesn’t need to be this overly expensive, extremely stressful time of year that social media would have us believe. It can be whatever you want it be.

Budget

Set your budget and stick to it. Whether that’s £50 a person or £500 a person, it doesn’t, or shouldn’t matter to anyone else what YOUR budget is. There are a lot of factors that you are going to have to take into account when setting your budget, none of which have to be explained to anyone else, because not only is it no one else’s business, but more money doesn’t mean a better Christmas.

Days out

You’re possibly going to need to factor these into your overall budget. But there are plenty of ways to reduce the cost of days out, and plenty of options that won’t totally break the bank.

You’re also going to need to think about what works for your family, the big events, that ultimately can be very busy, aren’t going to be suitable for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. Never feel pressured to do something that you know your family aren’t going to enjoy.

Decorating

This really is a “you do you” scenario. There are so many opinions on it, and I think lots of people worry, is it too much, not enough or even too early. First of all decorations can be costly. There really is no shame in not creating a grotto within your home, for a start many of us don’t have the space for extravagant displays, at the end of the day our houses still have to function as homes. If you find the season quite overwhelming as it is, filling your house to the brim probably isn’t going to be the best choice for you. There are also ways of creating that festive feeling with minimal decorating. If space and storage can be an issue, why not look at handmade decorations, kids will love getting involved, you can have those select few that come out year after year, as well as things like paper chains which are easy to dispose of but still add the fun factor.

When it comes to some decorations you also have to consider your overall living situation. If you’re renting, your landlord may not be too pleased about you drilling holes and putting lights outside with electrical feeds being added. Unfortunately in this day and age it also seems there are a lot of people willing to ruin everyone’s fun and steal anything that isn’t bolted down so for some putting anything outside is an absolute no go. Essentially No one should second guess their choices, and even more importantly no one should be judging other people.

Finally…

However you choose to spend the festive season, do it your way and enjoy the time spent with friends and family.