A Spoonie Christmas

The winter holidays are less than a month away, and while this season should be all fun and cheer, when you’re a Spoonie, Christmas can be unnerving and exhausting.

The Christmas tree needs to be decorated, and along with it the entire house, because what’s a Christmas without a tree, right?

Then there’s all the shopping—in crowded shops, no less—for food, drinks, and presents for the entire extended family. The thought alone makes you want to curl up in bed until the holidays are over.

But that’s unthinkable. 

Your friends and family are relying on you to at least be there with them and have fun. Even when you’re too tired to put one foot in front of another and your body is screaming in pain.

You don’t want to disappoint them, but at the same time, you know you will. No matter how hard you try. The guilt, the pressure… it all adds up.

You Deserve to Enjoy Christmas

But you know what? Just because your body is fighting you tooth and nail, just because you can’t live up to society’s (or even your loved ones’) expectations, that still doesn’t mean you should have yet another miserable Christmas. 

You deserve better!

This year, I want you to be able to actually enjoy the holidays. In a way that honours the demands of your body, and in a way that doesn’t overwhelm your senses. Are you ready to reclaim Christmas?

A Spoonie Christmas Without Exhaustion

Fighting to survive the Christmas season is no fun. I know all about it. Pacing during Christmas holidays was never my strongest point.

From hosting elaborate 5-course family dinners that took days to prepare and were gone within the hour, to travelling for hours to celebrate with relatives who lived all the way up north, to trying not to lose my shit in the crowded shops… I’ve done it all. More times than I care to remember.

But once I finally got my diagnosis (at age 49 or so..) and had an OT explain a few things about pacing, it clicked: I didn’t have to live up to other people’s standards. No matter who those people were. I was allowed to listen to my body.

And so are you!

So here’s my easy 3-part plan for a Spoonie-friendly Christmas.

Simplify the Food

This may sound like an open door, but it’s worth repeating: you don’t need to hurt yourself preparing an elaborate dinner, only to suffer a major flare for days or even weeks after.

Simple is good—and in my upcoming blogs I’ll show you that simple can still be festive, and shortcuts count. Even better, your guests (if you’re up to having them) won’t even notice you didn’t slave in the kitchen for days on end. Pinky promise.

An easy Christmas dinner for spoonies. A festive four-course dinner without the exhaustion. Or perhaps a colourful vegetarian grazing board? Does that sound like the kind of Spoonie Christmas you could enjoy? I’ll give you the tools (and the recipes) to make it happen.

Pace Your Social Life

The second part of the plan hinges on how well you are able to say ‘no’. If you’re anything like me, this one’s a major and ongoing struggle for you. How are you going to be able to say no to your aging parents? Your adult children? Your great-grandaunt, your friends, your colleagues?

It breaks your heart!

And yet, if you say yes to all these family get-togethers, the dinner parties, the community celebrations you’ll end up paying the price. This is the time to ask yourself: what is the price I’m willing to pay—and what will actually be worth paying that price?

Those are hard questions. Nobody wants you to miss out. You don’t want to miss out. But is the flare worth it? 

That’s a question only you can answer.

My personal strategy is to pick one thing—one thing only—and decline all the rest. I’ve spent Christmases away from my parents, just so I’d be able to see them on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

Build Rest Into the Holiday

If you want a Christmas without exhaustion, building in moments of rest is essential. Even just five minutes alone, on the couch with your cats and a good book (my favourite way to relax) can work wonders.

Think ahead: 

If you have a partner or family, tell them about your needs in advance. Make sure they know how to recognise the signs that you need some time to yourself. Don’t wait for the crash to happen. 

And if you think pacing during the Christmas holidays is hard, here’s a lesson learnt from my mum—though I doubt it was the lesson she meant to teach me.

My mum used to run herself ragged, and by the time the celebrations started, things would go downhill fast. She’d start slurring her sentences (and no, she wasn’t drunk) even to the point where we couldn’t understand a word she said. Then she’d nod off, and just sit there in her chair. Out cold and snoring.

Yet, if we asked—or even insisted—she’d just go to bed, she’d refuse, muttering something about not wanting to be unsociable. Right.

It taught me one thing: never to do that to myself and my loved ones. Don’t be like my mum. Take your rest when you need it.

Are You Ready For a Spoonie-Friendly Christmas?

Let this be the year where you’re in control. The year where you decide what’s enough, so you can celebrate without pushing yourself past the point of no return. Let it be the year where you finally enjoy Christmas again.

Rest when you need it. Say no when you must. And let me sort the cooking for you. In the next posts, I’ll share an easy Christmas dinner for spoonies that’s so good, everyone will want seconds. Plus a recipe for a festive drink that won’t cost you half your spoons.

This post is part of the mini series The Gentle Art of Winter Cooking, a celebration of spoonie-friendly, easy, and nourishing dishes that provide warmth and comfort on cold days.

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