Christmas is officially “Cwtch” season. Whilst you can cwtch and be homely all year round, at Christmas it is actively encouraged. We’ve put together our top 10 Ways to Cwtch at Christmas.
- Spend it with those who you want to spend it with. That means if you want to be surrounded by family make time to do this and know that it’s perfectly okay to have days in on your own.
- Make time for making memories. Going for a walk, swimming in the sea at Barry Island(!) visiting family, ice skating, carol singing. These are the things that not only are remembered but you actively seek out each year. Find what works for you and enjoy.
- It’s okay to indulge. What a great cwtch rule! We enjoy our food and don’t hold back at Christmas. We only ever buy what we will enjoy and would only do what we can afford and eat, we hate to see waste. For us indulgence is different, Rachel loves a blanket, movie and hot chocolate, Kat enjoys Bailey’s from a Reindeer and Steph enjoys canapes and mimosas (even on a night in on here own!)
- Give experiences not gifts. Do you remember the gifts you had last year? What about when you were 10? There may be that one gift you remember but you probably remember activities you did more. This year we’ve gone against gifts and are buying experiences instead. We can’t wait to share our outings with you in 2022.
- Spend time indoors. When it’s dark at night and restrictions limit the places we can go stay at home and cwtch. It might be on your own, with a pet, children or partner but the sofa, blankets and a Christmas movie is the perfect way to relax.
- Make Christmas last – We love to draw out Christmas, especially on Christmas day itself. We enjoy a lazy morning perhaps taking the dogs for a walk before a late breakfast and then if we’ve been good Santa may have left a few presents in a stocking that we open. Lunch is usually about two or three after which we’ll sit around the Christmas tree and hand out presents one at a time. It’s usually gone five by the time presents are opened. Not because there are huge amounts but because we took time to appreciate each one.
- Appreciate the little things – you may not send cards this year, but it’s lovely when you do receive one- give a call back to say thank you. If you’ve not got as many people coming over this year, it’s nice to know you can take time out for yourself. For us taking a hot bath and slipping into fresh PJs (bonus if fresh bed) is one of our small wins and a fab way to feel cwtch.
- Light up the home Lighting your space with candles, fairy lights, a lamp or fire really turns your home to your cwtch. It feels warm and cosy and the perfect place to be. The lights on the Christmas tree are a big favourite of ours and we enjoy lighting candles over advent and Christmas that also leave a lovely smell.
- Enjoy cooking Cook as little or as much as you choose. Christmas dinner can be a chore so we’ve always followed mums top tip and prepped the night before. This includes cooking the turkey whilst our amazing Christmas Eve gammon is cooking and cutting chopping veg (or popping shop bought into pans) ready to turn on and go on Christmas day. Christmas dinner is one of the best things about Christmas for us and this cwtch tip helps us relax and get our dream dinner.
- Take time to switch off If you’re one of the fortunate ones to have time off this Christmas, use it wisely. Take this time to recharge, practise self care and relax. We use cwtch as our word by definition for warm, safe place, but this also means from clutter of the mind. Go into the next year being the best version of yourself knowing that you’ve taken time to create that safe space for you.
There are so many pressures felt by people to do things at Christmas and that goes against what we’d practice as Ways To Cwtch. We want to tell you that it’s okay to do what’s best for you. Be warm, be safe and find your cwtch.
Nadolig Llawen from Rachel, Kat and Steph.
Ways to Cwtch 