The pressure to buy – and fast – is a recipe for stress and waste. This Christmas, consider these gifting and holiday strategies for a slower, more meaningful pace
We’ve all been there. It’s three days until Christmas and only one gift has been bought. Cue the quick-fire online purchasing, followed by a 3pm skid to the retail park.
Rushing is on the rise: last year saw retail footfall on Christmas Eve up 31% compared to the previous year. And it seems last-minute purchasing does not a satisfying gift make. In January 2025, £1.51bn worth of gifts were returned to retailers, according to home delivery specialist Parcelhero. On 2 January, there was a 6.8% increase in returns compared to the same day the previous year.
Now, with plenty of time still left until the big day, consider these ideas to channel a slower, calmer pace. Not only in regards to gifting, but around how you spend your time over the holidays, too.
1. Turn Christmas card-making into a nature or seaside walk
Being near water is “incredibly soothing and invigorating”, says Flora Blathwayt, founder of social enterprise Washed Up Cards. Her company was founded just before the pandemic, and promotes wellness through group beach cleans and workshops. The Christmas tie-in? Blathwayt uses the recovered plastic to create one-of-a-kind cards with quirky messages.
You can join one of Blathwayt’s beach cleans or go on your own local walk. If you’re feeling crafty, try your hand at making some festive cards out of the bits you find (Washed Up cards has lots of design inspiration). Even if you decide not to get crafty with your finds you’ll have still reaped the wellbeing benefits of being in nature, spent time with loved ones, and helped clean up a small patch of your local environment.
2. Replace the retail park with an art gallery
The pressure to gift can leave us feeling stressed and overwhelmed, not to mention cash-poor. Luckily, there’s an antidote: art. A first-of-its-kind study out of King’s College London has found that going to galleries can reduce stress and inflammation, thereby benefitting physical wellbeing.
Researchers noted a 22% drop in cortisol levels for volunteers who were sent to view art in London’s Courtauld Gallery. This compared to just an 8% drop in a different group that viewed art in a non-gallery setting. Meanwhile, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) dropped by 30% and 28% respectively for the gallery cohort, with no change observed in the other group.
Dr Tony Woods, who led the research, said: “The most exciting outtake is that art had a positive impact on three different body systems – the immune, endocrine and autonomic systems – at the same time. This is a unique finding and something we were genuinely surprised to see.”
With this in mind, try balancing a shopping trip with a gallery jaunt the next day. Or better yet, take a loved one to an art gallery in place of a physical gift. You’ll likely both feel better for it.
Going to galleries can reduce stress and inflammation, a recent study found. Image: Jessica Pamp
3. Bring positivity to the party
Christmas evokes a certain feel-good nostalgia: crackling fires, delicious kitchen smells and crisp winter walks, family games and thoughtful presents. For many, this is far from the reality. Tensions might run high as conversation moves to global politics, or as children run wild, overloaded on sugar and screens.
This year, try joining the Christmas festivities armed with conversation-starters of positivity and progress. It will enable you to skip the tedious small talk and instead bring some infectious energy to social gatherings. After all, psychology tells us that what we notice, share and talk about influences what others notice too.
“Positive News is packed full of stories of people, communities and organisations making change for the good,” says Positive News editor Tom Pattinson. “These stories don’t just entertain but also provide hope and inspiration,” he says.
An annual subscription to the quarterly print magazine will ensure all family members have plenty of positive things to talk about over the Christmas table.
What we notice, share and talk about influences what others notice, research shows. Image: skynesher
4. Be selective – but realistic – about screen-time
With some parents still feeling scarred by the summer holidays, sans school or childcare – myself included – it’s well worth making a strategy for the festive period. An obvious time-filler for young ones is screens, screens and more screens. While there is nothing wrong with a Christmas movie on a wintry afternoon or some strategically timed CBeebies on sleepy mornings, the hazards of excessive screen time are well-documented. From poor sleep to reduced attention-span, screens and devices should be used in moderation. So, how to find the right balance?
Kaitlyn Regehr is the author of a new book Smartphone Nation. In it she argues that it’s important to remind ourselves that we are the masters of our domains, not our devices. “Every time we turn on a screen, we are making a decision,” Regehr notes. “If you turn on iPlayer and put on a Bluey marathon for your kid, that’s a decision.”
Try making a plan the night before as to how screens might slot into the next day. An all-out screen-free day is an idea, but it might not be realistic. Instead, try a screen-free afternoon. Or plan for your children to watch something they don’t normally, like a nature series that you can all talk about afterwards. Quality over quantity can make all the difference, says Regehr.
Main image: Imgorthand
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