How to Create a Magical But Low-Stress Christmas Morning

Your alarm goes off at 6 AM. As you roll over to hit snooze, it hits you: The staggering weight of the Christmas workload. Before you know it, you've blinked, and December has flown by. It's now Christmas morning, and you're faced with a task list as long as your child's holiday wishlist. There's breakfast to get on the table, kids to get dressed, family to see, gifts to open, and all the phone calls, traditions, and clean-up that go with it. Suddenly, a day that's meant to be one of the year's most special becomes the year's most stressful.

If this sounds like you, you're not alone! And we're here to simplify your Christmas morning with tips to make it low-stress, but still magical.

Control the Expectations and Breathe

First things first: your kids will expect what you've promised them. Sure, commercials, friends, and society as a whole might say a jam-packed Christmas day is the best way to celebrate. But within your own home, you can temper expectations. Store-bought cookies can be just as delicious as homemade, one big gift can replace multiple small gifts (and all that wrapping), Pillsbury can easily make Christmas breakfast, and dinner can be takeout from your favorite restaurant. These big moments can be made easier, and you can swap out hard work with a little easy cheat.

So many of us get swept up in planning big, extravagant moments and gifts. The truth is that our families will remember who was there and what they did, but won't remember how much it cost or how much effort was involved. Attending a church event, driving around to see Christmas lights, or watching Christmas movies are fun, low-key activities for Christmas Day. In between, try turning clean-up into a game with some Christmas music, or give a Christmas reward to whoever finishes cleaning up the quickest. Recruit your family to help take some of the pressure off, and when all else fails, breathe!

• Parent Tip: Is your floor covered in shredded wrapping paper, with breakfast remnants scattered across the house? Pop on a Christmas playlist and gather everyone together. When the music starts, it's time to start cleaning. When the music stops, it's time to freeze (especially fun when one of your kids is mid-sweep!). Whoever makes it to the end and cleans the most wins!

Focus Only On Immediate Family

Drawing boundaries is difficult, but sometimes, it's necessary. When you have a family of your own, the holidays shift from being part of a family to having your own family. While the guilt of prioritizing your own needs can weigh heavily, your family will thank you for it. If traveling or spending Christmas at a family member's house feels like too much, don't be afraid to say, “We appreciate the offer, but we're celebrating at home this year.”

The same rule applies if hosting feels like a monumental stressor. You can make the holidays just as memorable at home as they would be at someone else's house. The perk? Everyone can stay in their PJs, make a mess, and genuinely enjoy being together.

• Parent Tip: Use this time to start your own traditions that are easier and less stressful than others. Make homemade Christmas decorations, cook breakfast or dinner together, bake cookies, or have a movie day with the classics and some floor pillows.

Decide on Gifts Early and Make Them Easy

For starters, avoid the pressure of having to assemble gifts on Christmas. Your kids will be just as thrilled to play with their new kitchenette the day after, especially if there are other toys to keep them occupied. If they're older, consider digital gifts, such as video games or PlayStation and Steam gift cards. For younger kids, aim for at least one thing that will keep them occupied after they open it. This might feel a little tricky, but it means you get some much-needed downtime after the rush of gift-opening!

Many times, parents get jammed with last-minute gift-buying. This causes stress between shipping times and long store lines, and isn't fun for anyone. Taking advantage of sales before Christmas is one of the best ways to avoid the rush and get gifts out early.

• Parent Tip: Who says everything needs to be opened on Christmas? If you run out of time, you can wrap what you have and promise the other half of the gifts on a shopping trip. Kids will be just as excited to visit their favorite stores and pick out a couple of gifts in real time! Planning this for right after Christmas alleviates some pressure, and you can make it fun with breakfast or lunch at a restaurant.

Don't Be Afraid to Delegate

This applies to Christmas morning with your spouse or partner, or with the entire family. If it's just you and your partner, agree on a plan long before Christmas. Decide who's handling the kids first thing, who's putting gifts under the tree, who's wrapping, who's cooking (or picking up catered food), and so on. Have a few backup ideas on hand just in case your kids wake up with extra energy, such as a quick drive or walk around the neighborhood.

If the entire family is staying, give everyone a task! If you're hosting and providing beds, food, and general hospitality, consider it a mutually beneficial vacation. More often than not, the family will be happy to be included, especially in things like gift-wrapping and cooking together.

• Parent Tip: If you're celebrating Christmas outside of the house, have a bail-out plan with your partner. If the kids start getting rowdy or restless, or one of you is burnt out, come up with an escape plan. It doesn't need to be an Irish goodbye, but having a mutual understanding of when your battery is out can be reassuring.

Slow Down and Create Intentional Moments

Striving for the perfect day and memorable moments is often what creates chaos. As uncomfortable as it can be to go with the natural flow of things, you'll be happy that you did. Kids feed off their parent's energy, and if you're stressed and rushing, they'll feel that. First thing in the morning, build anticipation for gift-opening. Start with a leisurely breakfast and let everyone (including parents) wake up. These options are quick and simple:

• Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
• Breakfast casseroles (can be made the night before)
• Muffins or pastries from a local bakery
• Bagels and lox
• Oatmeal bakes (can be made the night before)

Even something as simple as cereal or oatmeal can be special on Christmas morning. Have a cereal or oatmeal bar, where kids can choose their own add-ins. This is also cost-effective and requires only what you already have on hand!

When it's time to open gifts, let kids be kids. It'll be a flurry of wrapping paper and stick-on bows, and there's not much any parent can do to stop it. It's okay if the living room is a mess or if toys are scattered around. These are the moments your kids will remember, not that their home was cluttered. Sometimes, pushing clean-up until after they're asleep, or even until the next day, is worth it to get some sleep.

• Parent Tip: Open gifts in another room so that the mess doesn't become an eyesore (or a stressor!). You can always come back to it. This also frees up another room for a movie day or for family to come over, and takes away the stress of immediate (and constant) cleaning.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock.com