There are two times of the year where I go a bit cuckoo. Actually, there’s more than two…but there are two that I can set my watch by. The Easter Long Weekend and the week between Christmas and New Year. Bad times for Adrenaline Boots.

The Easter one is a bit inexplicable, but my sisters get it. All three of us dread Good Friday and I think of the 4-day weekend as a transmutational telephone booth. Step in as one person, and come out as another. I am never unchanged by the Easter Long Weekend.

The week between Christmas and New Year is just one big, long, anti-climactic comedown. A balloon that gets gradually softer and wrinklier.

But this year I have decided to make a change…and I’m starting with the man in the mirror. This year I have dubbed

Here is my recipe for good Christmas mental health:

No Christmas Tree. A good christmas tree is a thing of beauty. I fetishize Christmas decorations, looove a good bauble. What I hate is taking the tree down after it’s all over. De-pressing. I have saved myself a bit of heartache and hot, sweaty labour.

Ok – so Phoebs wouldn’t allow “no” Christmas tree. But that little white sticky thing is fairly negligible.

Reduce Gift Giving. I absolutely love buying presents for people. Choosing the perfect gift for someone you love is exciting. But right in the middle of the December retail frenzy is no time for thoughtful and reflective present selection. Plus it’s a bad time to be spending shitloads of money. I’m a freelancer who doesn’t get paid over this period. Blowing all our cash is not a smart idea. Presents for kids and parents and partners is enough. I can spoil my friends and sisters on their birthdays.

Limit the Partying. The hardest one to stick to, but the one guaranteed to give the best results. A month of late nights and excessive drinking is sure to make anyone a cranky little fucker. Choose your moments, drink plenty of soda water.

Here in the Southern Hemisphere, we are blessed with both Christmas and the Summer Holidays in tandem. It should be a wonderful time to socialise and relax. Wishing you all A Very Stable Christmas.