Guest Post - Carole Matthews

Today I am host to Carole Matthews on her blog tour for her new release With Love at Christmas, a fantastic read by Matthew's which focuses on a topic which I am sure is a headache suffered in many households over the festive period, family gatherings! Carole has given a further insight into her thoughts on this subject and I am delighted to welcome her to my blog:

Keeping Everyone Happy at Christmas

Not everyone is as mad on Christmas as the heroine of my latest book, With Love at Christmas. Juliet Joyce is Christmas crazy and all she wants is for her family to be happy and to be around her for the festive holiday.

      But, as Juliet discovers, it’s just not that easy. I think it’s something that every woman will empathise with. We all knock ourselves out trying to hold everything together while whipping up the perfect Christmas for everyone.

      But it’s tricky, isn’t it? At Christmas emotions seem to be amplified and spending time hot-housed with family members who you might not normally see for such undiluted periods of time can certainly be challenging!

      It’s also difficult to accommodate changing roles and relationships in a family. Who goes where for Christmas is always a thorny issue. If you’re married with children of your own, do you insist on Christmas day at home or do you split your time between in-laws? It’s easier if everyone appreciates that the family has to evolve. Sometimes we get set into Christmas rituals that are really hard to break without upsetting someone.

      If parents have split, it’s a terrible time of year for carving up time with the children. The squabble about who gets the kids on Christmas day can go on all year round if you’re not careful!

      Just remember that it’s supposed to be a fun, relaxing time. No, really, it is! You can’t keep everyone happy, just accept that and you won’t get too frazzled. You can’t possibly cater for all generations and both young and old will probably appreciate some time on their own. Perhaps take the youngsters out for a bike ride while the grandparents have a snooze. Or give in and let the teens lock themselves away with the computer for an hour.

      Factor in some ‘me’ time before Christmas. Take five minutes to curl up with a book, a nice glass of something and some ‘Mum’s Only’ chocolate, so that you’re less stressed when the big day arrives.  There are some great Christmassy reads around to get you in the mood. Plus you must make sure that you read, With Love at Christmas, then whatever Christmas throws at your family, you can be safe in the knowledge that it won’t ever be as bad as the Joyces’! At least I hope not!

Thank you Carole for including me within your blog tour and I hope that your Christmas is a calm and relaxed occasion and that your book is in many people's stocking on Christmas day. With Love at Christmas is a fantastic read and I will be reviewing it on this blog very soon.