Ten ways to get into the festive spirit

Are you finding it hard to get into the festive spirit this year? You won't be the only one. Although the holidays a time to look forward to, it also means a lot of work.

What with all the expense involved and time spent deciding on presents, it can be easy to feel somewhat demoralized, rather than excited. Don’t despair – help is at hand with our tips to help you to rediscover the joy of Christmas (again!).

1. Buy gifts online – it makes life so much simpler. While you're on the internet, why not send some e-cards? It’ll save money on mailing them and people will appreciate them just as much.

2. Share ideas for Christmas presents with your friends. It's easy to have a mental block when you're trying to decide what to buy your loved ones, so it might help to get a fresh perspective.

3. Set yourself an amount to spend on each person. Remember, it's quality that matters, not quantity.

4. If you have a large family, why not save money (and time!) by doing Secret Santa? Instead of buying for everyone in your family, write down everyone's names on individual pieces of paper. Gather your family members round and each pick a name from the hat. You will then buy for that person. This is a fun and cheap way to ensure that everybody gets a gift and it cuts out a lot of hassle and expense.

5. You can also save money by making gifts. Family members (especially grandparents!) love homemade gifts, so set your child up with some paper, cardboard, glitter glue and crayons and let her be creative! With a bit of help from you, she can design lovely presents such as picture frames, cards and jewelry boxes. Presents like these will mean so much more, because so much love has gone into making them.

6. As well as the 'making', there's also the 'baking': it can be expensive to buy Christmas food so why not make your own? It's great to get your children involved in the kitchen from a young age (although you must remember to remove all sharp objects and keep them away from raw meat or anything hot). No one's going to care if your cookie reindeers aren’t picture-perfect and all you need is the ingredients and some cookie cutters.

7. Go ice-skating with your children. Though it might be more a case of trying to get your toddler to stay upright up for longer than two minutes than whirling around the rink doing triple salkows, it's still a fun Christmas activity which will help you to feel festive.

8. Go to a carol concert with your family. It will really help you to get into the Christmas spirit and will remind you that this time of year is about much more than just presents.

9. Decorate the tree as a family. Assign everyone a duty – dad can be in charge of the lights and mom can help the children hang the bows. The youngest member of the family (within reason, as a newborn won't be up to it!) can make a star and put it on the top of the tree.

10. Take your little one(s) to see Santa! Your baby’s first holiday season is meant to be a special, magical time which you should enjoy, not dread. So get those reindeer antlers on, put on some Christmas music and have a little dance around the room with your loved ones. Remember, 'tis the season to be jolly!

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional