A letter to my fellow perfectionists this Christmas.
I always end up beating myself up at this time of year. Being such a perfectionist, I want every Christmas (and every birthday) to be perfect. They invariably aren’t. Life has a canny knack of being imperfect, really, doesn’t it?
Every year, I tell myself that I’ll start my Christmas shopping ridiculously early, that I’ll find the perfect Christmas jumper to wear, that I’ll cater for everyone in terms of presents; buying them all something they’ll absolutely adore. Have I? No… I’ve still got presents to buy, I haven’t bought a new Christmas jumper and the presents I’ll buy will be met with a tepid response, disguised by faux enthusiasm. They’ll be thrown into a draw by the 4th January, never to be seen again.
Now, I’m not having a pity-party here, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who puts immense pressure on themselves to enjoy Christmas Day. You put yourself under so much pressure to enjoy it, that you end up having no fun at all. Last year’s main source of pressure was making my YouTube video (watch here) which hugely stressed me out, and can’t have been easy for my family either. (To get certain shots, I was quite bossy - Like asking if they could pop each plate onto the table individually, then letting me film it, before they could place the next one down. Thus delaying Christmas dinner like the selfish mare I am.) Oh, the ways in which you suffer for your 'art'.
Christmas should be a time for enjoying yourself, and making the most of all you have in life; a day for gratitude and happiness, not just another day to stress over. So, I urge my fellow perfectionists, who are pressuring themselves to have that elusive ‘perfect’ Christmas, to just go a little easier on yourselves.
If your turkey gets burnt, don’t panic. If a relative drinks too much booze, just let them sleep it off. And if you miss Eastenders? (SHOCK. HORROR.) There’s always iPlayer, isn’t there?
Are you as bad as me?
