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Privacy Notice In the run-up to Christmas, you may be feeling some pressure to get your family and friends extravagant gifts. The festive season is often a time of excess, with people buying lots of items for their festivities, from fancy decorations and lights to alcohol. If you’re in a shop tempted to spend hundreds of pounds on items you might only use for one day, think again. Try and get crafty and make decorations or even reuse yours. And you don’t need to go crazy with food either, since most of the items you’re buying are just for Christmas itself. You could even try and make a cheap dinner this year, comprised of chicken instead of turkey and some of the essential items like potatoes and vegetables. As we are in a cost of living crisis, experts are urging people to not splash the cash if they can’t afford to and instead to focus on enjoying time with their nearest and dearest. They seek to remind people that going back to basics and making memories, having fun, laughing and playing games is more important than splurging on luxury items- and better for their mental health. No one wants to end up in debt at Christmas time which is unfortunately the situation that some people find themselves in.
Gosia Bowling believes in the significance of quality time and families coming together, using the term “presence over presents”
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One of the experts who believes in the significance of quality time and families coming together, using the term “presence over presents”, is Gosia Bowling, mental health prevention lead at Nuffield Health. She says: “While it might sound like a cliché, thinking about the deeper meaning of Christmas can transform your experience from pressured into precious, and the best gifts we can give anyone at Christmas are joyful memories. “Acts of love, laughter, kindness, forgiveness, and understanding cannot be bought, but their impact will outlast any gift bought on the high street, and help make Christmas a truly magical time.
“Having a store of treasured memories to revisit can help us access positive experiences whenever we need them,” Gosia says
(Image: Getty Images)
“Focusing on spending time with others at Christmas rather than buying gifts helps your wellbeing as well as your wallet. “Social interaction is good for body and mind, and people who spend time with family and friends find healthier ways to cope with stress, as well as having a reduced risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease or stroke. “Having a store of treasured memories to revisit can help us to access positive experiences whenever we need them, so this Christmas, focus on being present rather than the presents.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnChristmasReal LifeMental healthHealth
