The fairy lights are going up, the shopping centres are a-twinkle with red and gold decorations, and all over the country, people are gearing up - for the nightmare before Christmas. 'Tis the season to be stressed.
An almost unbelievable number of separate tensions are inflicted on us all at once: a vast amount of food and drink to be bought and prepared, an influx of unfamiliar and often unwelcome guests to entertain, the tree to buy and decorate, the paper chains to hang and the cards to write and post (and pray that they'll actually be delivered).
And that's before tackling the biggest hurdle of all: the Christmas shopping. Battling against vast crowds, begging for help from bored shop assistants and fighting over the last box of lavender soaps for your mother-in-law are all par for the course.
Add fears of financial insecurity to this heady mixture and the whole experience comes close to jingle hell.
Survey after survey shows that coping with Christmas can be almost as stressful as getting divorced. In fact, it's astonishing that any of us still put ourselves through this voluntary ordeal. Especially as there is an alternative . . .
With the vast expansion of internet and mail-order companies, it's perfectly possible to have the whole event wrapped up from your home computer.
You don't have to stick to shopping at the major stores, nor be confined by what's available in your High Street: a proliferation of quirky, unique shops have popped up online, offering presents guaranteed to provide the recipient with a proper old-fashioned thrill. You could even get them gift-wrapped into the bargain.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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