I was super organised for Christmas last year. I’m not feeling quite as organised this year, primarily due to the fact that we are decorating the hall, stairs and landings – in a 3 storey house there’s a lot of stairs. It’s only the excitement of having leopard print carpet fitted that’s got us motivated to be honest. Despite this, compared to how it used to be I still feel mega organised and a lot less stressed than I used to always be. Don’t get me wrong we used to always have lots of laughs, and I have some very fond memories of family times at Christmas, but it's never really like the adverts, is it? It's not all smiles in matching pyjamas in front of log fires. 

 

There can be so much stress and pressure around Christmas, especially if you're the one who has to make it all happen. This week I have a few tips for you that might help you take away some of the stress 

 

As far as I'm concerned you need to be comfortable and confident in your clothes every day of the year, but even more so during the festive season when you are out and about socialising. 

Understanding your Style Personality is key to learning how to dress without stress. I have a quiz that I do with all my clients to assess what their primary style personality is and that is our starting point for any work. It’s one of the 4 steps in my Project FAB! framework – can read more about that in my book or in this blog. 

 

As an example, if you are invited round to friends for drinks over Christmas and usually always dress in a casual way in jeans and a t shirt then you are not going to feel totally comfortable giving yourself a makeover by donning a body con dress and teetering around like a new-born calf in sparkly party heels. It would totally spoil your enjoyment as you worry about falling off your stiletto skyscrapers or your dress showing that you’ve eaten one too many mince pies. 

 

You might, however, want to look a bit more glammed up than usual. This is where dialling up and partifying your usual style comes in, so you look more glam than usual but are still dressing as YOU and feel comfortable and confident. Remember – comfydence is always the number one aim. You’re still dressing like yourself and expressing who you are but in a way that is right for different situations or environments. I talked about it in this blog. 

A few tweaks are all it takes. Easy wins for dialling up a notch are swapping out basic fabrics for more sumptuous ones such as silk, satin, lace, velvet, brocade and devoré or changing your shoes so they have a shiny element such as patent leather, satin or embroidery or another embellishment. It can be as simple as swapping your faded denim jeans for a darker blue or different colour so that you look more dressed up. 

 

We always used to put on our Sunday best on Christmas day (a family tradition for as long as I can remember) but last year we didn’t bother. We never go anywhere or see anyone else these days – it’s literally just me, hubby and son. I’m usually back in my pj’s ready for a snooze by 7pm at the latest anyway 😊. As a halfway compromise to the matching pj’s I ordered us all t shirts with reindeers on to have a family photo in for a bit of fun.  

 

Speaking of photos please don’t avoid being in them. I’m so happy that my mum always took loads of photos as they hold fond memories of our family Christmases with my parents and grandparents. Now they are no longer with us these photos are very special reminders of forgotten times. 

 

TIP If you’re not sure how to stand and feel uncomfortable posing for photos remember a ‘flat arm is a fat arm’! Pose for pics with your arm slightly away from your body or hand on your hip...this will create a more interesting shape. You might not necessarily want to go all ‘Instaglam’ posy BUT putting one foot slightly in front of the other too as it stops you from having the awkward ‘walking doll’ or Lego character stance. Also, pushing your chin slightly forward and down will prevent double chins appearing that aren’t usually there. 

TIP If you get a bit red in the face after a couple of celebratory glasses of prosecco my tip for making sure you don't look like you’ve got Santa cheeks is to have some face powder or blotting papers to hand so you can powder your nose. You can also use a green based concealer to cancel out any redness. Think about having a lippy handy for touch ups or use one of those 24hr long lasting ones so you look glam on the festive photos and don’t want them to be deleted as soon as you see them. 

And on that note, here’s me signing of for a couple of weeks. I’ll be back in the new year. Before I go though, I just want to tell you that Shop Your Wardrobe 21 Day Style Challenge is back again in 2023, We start on 9th Jan, it is completely free and is my gift to you to help ease you into the new year with a bit of fun. It’s a simple concept but it really does give you a post-Christmas boost during the dark and gloomy January days when the excitement of the festive season is over. Make a note on your calendar for 9th Jan and look out for my blog on 4th January which will have further details. 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

 

Ps if you have a bit of spare time during twixtmas how about gifting yourself some time to have a wardrobe weeding session. Bag your stuff up and then bring it to Swish 4th Feb.