'Expect things not to be perfect': the Christmas survival guide 

It's all too easy to get bogged down by a long to-do list in the run-up to December 25. We ask mental health experts for advice on how to stay calm at a hectic time of year, particularly as Covid is still a concern 

Picture: iStock 

We ask a lot of Christmas. It comes at the mid-point of winter when the days are at their shortest, the light at its lowest – and we pile it high with expectations and demand it deliver.

We expect perfection like in the festive TV ads that paint Christmas in rosy tints – everyone gathered around a table laden with gorgeous food, everything warm and cosy, everyone in a good place and getting along.