You don’t need to look at the calendar to know we’re well into December. If it’s not the biting cold as you leave the warmth of your house or office, it’s the lights, the carols, the perpetually hanging Santa Claus at the edge of balconies, or the dreaded scales defying our attempt to squeeze into last year’s party dress.

Ah yes, it’s December all right. Don’t get us wrong, we love this time of year and for plenty of reasons:

1. It brings back memories of bygone days and the smell of mince pies wafting from mother’s kitchen.
2. It’s like nothing has changed since then: the lights still turn everything into a glittery spectacle and Band Aid is still chorusing from the speakers. Can we really go back in time once a year? Could we, please?
3. We’ll all agree that everything is prettier this time of year; the streets are livelier, the food is more plentiful and we all love the opportunity to shake out our sequined dress.
4. The kids’ eyes take on a different gleam (well, maybe not just the kids’).
5. Not to mention all the mulled wine you could drink and be excused for it because it is, after all, the only time in the year you should drink it. So bottoms up!

But if growing up has taught us anything, it’s the fact that everything becomes slightly more stressful. You know, just that little bit. Just enough to give you more things to think about since you clearly did not have enough.

1. All the island’s inhabitants converge at Valletta or Sliema to get their shopping done and you never thought this island could hold so many people.
2. That frantic poring over the gift list so you don’t have to relive last year’s embarrassing moment when everyone started exchanging gifts and you sat there feeling like you missed the memo.
3. How is it that you feel you have less time on your hands with each Christmas that passes? One year you’re throwing parties left, right and centre and the next you barely have time to wrap the gifts.
4. Trying to prepare a Christmas dinner for friends or family is a nightmare, with Susan who is lactose-intolerant, Mike gluten-intolerant and Jennifer who is vegan. Take-out, anyone?
5. When you’re out buying gifts for others and you’re half-tempted to get one for yourself too. Which would be fine, except your bank account is already in agony and does not need this too.

And then, the irony of modern life, everything goes on sale one week later. Sigh…

(our face when the dress we bought for €80 is now at half price)

Christmas, like any big festivity has its moments of great highs, and the stressful in-between moments when you’re just trying to make everything work. Here at Svea we believe in the beauty of balance. There is no Christmas tree without dropping glitter or breaking a bauble or two, but that’s fine. Don’t exaggerate with gifts, don’t over-indulge and do keep the spirit of Christmas as close to heart as possible: give more than you take.

Have a merry one!

Psst, did you hear about SVEA’s amazing hamper competition?