You know it’s December when you see the shoppers. That familiar crazed look in their eyes. Their hopes and dreams dashed, as the last mince pie is snatched out of their reach. Trolleys overflowing, gift lists clutched like life rafts, and that one person aggressively sniffing a scented candle. Somewhere, carols are playing, but all you can hear is the soft scream of humanity trying to survive the festive rush. You don’t blame them. Your own life feels like a badly coordinated Christmas pageant. Emails multiplying faster than Santa’s Reindeer. Your mind doing the cha-cha between deadlines and glitter. You feel dread gnawing at your bone’s like a fruitcake gone bad. Oh Xmas, how we love you so. Where stress is a dish best served anxious. How do normal people survive this? The crushing weight of Black Friday deals that drain your bank account. The last-minute projects. A conscious holiday wishlist that goes all the way to the North Pole. A Christmas party coming up that you have nothing to wear for. You throw clothes out of your wardrobe with frustration. Where is the burgundy? The velvet greens, and the pillarbox reds. Remembering how you have a meeting in Central London, and then a Christmas Party after. Whatever will you do? But then, the idea comes to you as though in a fever dream. Coming up with stress-free Christmas party Prep to sleigh your tasks. And your festive guardian angel? Very, whose workwear to party faves, have you up to snow good! From wrapping presents under the Christmas tree, to watching Frozen, party prep dosen’t have to be daunting.
First stop? Workwear Central. Finding an outfit for your Christmas meeting, that’ll make you feel fa-la-la-la-bulous. You pray for a baby Jesus miracle that’ll have you singing the blues away. Shedding away all nervousness, without looking like a disgusting Christmas pudding. You click on a Black Midi Dress, more gothic than you usually go for. A pink cordorouy suit almost has you twitching. A green velvet draped blazer deliciously naughty. You flick past the red corsage dresses, and the navy trousers. The Christmas jumpers and the sequin skirts. You settle on burgundy for both your Christmas meeting, and party. Scrolling for hours to find two perfect crimbo outfits. But what will you choose? After all a stress-free Christmas party isn’t complete without the fits. Praying for a baby Jesus miracle that’ll have you singing hallelujah.
The Burgundy Battle: Slaying Work in Style
Picture this. You’re at work, biting your lip. The constant ping of notifications driving you up the wall. You stride into the office ( AKA RALPH’S COFFEE), dressed as a giant cranberry. Holding a burgundy umbrella, to stop your suit getting drenched in the rain. No soggy cats here please. You’re burgundy from head to toe, tailored scarf blazer, and pleated trousers. A burgundy ruched top, you unravel your scarf. Burgundy Christmas socks tucked into croc-print vegan slingback heels that you’re obsessed with. You shiver in the cold, waiting for your meeting. Draping your burgundy Faux Fur Jacket over your shoulders. Popping your patent burgundy bag on the narrow table. A burgundy beret askew from the rip-roaring wind. Storm burgundy anyone? You look nervously at your laptop. Try and block out the noise around you. Thinking it was a fantastic idea to choose the busiest coffee spot in central. Overlooking Cartier on a grey, stormy day.
You see your client racing at breakneck speed around the corner. As though they too can’t wait to get home. You glance at your watch. One hour left and your stress-free Christmas party ritual begins. Your makeup is minimal, a pop of blush and burgundy lips. The latter already smeared around your coffee cup. You remember rule one of an anxiety-free Christmas routine. To look so good that even the most tragic email feels like a subplot in a Christmas rom-com. This is the pre-party ritual we all forget: dress like you’re about to receive a promotion. Even though the only person that can promote you is yourself. SHE-EO and what?! So instead, you dress like you are going to ace your Christmas meeting. *Spoiler alert, you do. It sets the tone. Because let’s face it, if you’re dressed like a walking holiday card, even the most chaotic Monday can feel like a prelude to festive cheer. You seal the deal with a firm handshake. Hands that almost get lost in the sea of human bodies. She slips out, and someone tries to take your table. You gesture to yourself as though you aren’t invisible.
Fake Caffeine, Vegan Cake & Dash
The client leaves the meeting, you need a minute to decompress. But you hear the phone ringing and sigh. You get a call asking if you know the ‘muffin man’. You reply ‘of course, he lives down Drury Lane’. Shaking your head at the nonsense you have to deal with during Christmas. You take a breath. Ordering a decaf oat latte, that tastes like holiday cheer. Everything from your look, to your cafe ‘work order’ vegan and cruelty-free. You bite into a vegan almond croissant, the size of your face. Burgundy nails breaking them into soft halves. A ‘fake caffeine’ pit stop, like it’s your own personal Christmas stage. Surrounded by fairy lights, sprigs of holly. The soft hum of Indie Christmas covers that gets you in the festive mood. You have some work to do before you head home. But you can’t help but be clinically overwhelmed. A to do list so long it has its own postcode. If you hear Mariah Carey one more time, you’re going to scream.
Here’s how it goes:
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Open laptop and pretend to cry.
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Take a sip of decaf coffee, and hug yourself with joy
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Pretend to answer emails while actually plotting how to escape work early for holiday merriment.
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Smile at strangers who are convinced your burgundy ensemble was plucked directly from a Vogue editorial (they’re wrong, it’s Very).
- Breathe in, breathe out. Careful not to get too overstimulated.
- Be mindful and learn to be present in the moment. Your to-do list can wait.
This is your mental holiday warm-up, because no pre-party prep is complete without acknowledging that work technically still exists, but the party is coming. The hour is up. You jump up with glee. Packing your laptop into your briefcase. You step on the tube, sweaty armpits in your face, that you’d rather not smell. You conjure up images of your stress-free Christmas party prep that’ll calm you down. Until you end up at your house, excitement ahoy. After all ‘elf care’ is self-care. And given that BUDDY is your bestest friend, you’ll be sure to follow his advice. Next stop? Party ritual central. Where all your worries melt away in a sea of cleanser, cheesy music, and cuddling fat cats.
Home Sweet Holiday HQ
There’s a sacred moment when you cross the threshold of your flat: business mode clicks off, festive mode ignites. This is when your party toolkit emerges, armed with chaos-curbing charm. You walk upstairs, humming Frosty The Snowman under your breath. Your second outfit laid out on the bed, in the most picture perfect flaylay. A Christmas fox bedspread, with a black cat waiting. A burgundy sparkly bow dress, over matte burgundy tights. You hope they don’t rip but you know you’re clumsy. Those same burgundy kitten heels, faux fur coat, and patent bag. You put it on and glance in your wardrobe mirror. Yellow light spilling onto your frame like candy. You breathe a sigh of relief. It fits beautifully. Imagining prancing around under the Regents Street Angels. Blocking out the confused looks that you think you are nutter. Tuning in the encouragement that makes you feel good. You dust down your burgundy beret from earlier. Laughing as you belt ‘Last Christmas’ at the top of your lungs.
Assemble Your Stress Free Christmas Party Toolkit
You know that a stress-free Christmas party, requires mindful prep. Something that is realistic, that dosen’t trigger your anxiety. That is neurodivergent friendly, vegan, cruelty-free and filled with happiness.
It includes (in order) :
1. Putting on Frozen ( The Best Christmas Movie Ever! Fight Me)
Every December you yawn. At the countless people who say ‘ The Grinch’ is the best Chrisymas movie ever. Don’t they know that Frozen exists? Sure, the Grinch is green. Yes his heart grows three sizes. Congratulations to him and his cardiologist I guess? While others worship stolen presents and a man who lives with a dog on a mountain, You’re loyal to Frozen. Choosing sisters with unresolved trauma, singing their feelings into a blizzard. The Grinch has sarcasm. Frozen has power ballads. I mean who dosen’t love a film about a woman inventing winter because she won’t go to therapy? And to those who say it’s not a Christmas film, neither is Die Hard. Look how that turned out. You on the other hand, want stress-free Christmas prep without insanity. As you channel your inner ‘Elsa’ and ‘Let it Go’. A song so catchy, you can hear the screams of a thousand kids at heart.
2. Eating Vegan Festive Snacks & Drinking Non-Alcoholic Wine
Sure, most people’s stress-free Christmas party rituals aren’t so elaborate. Slap some makeup on. Tease their hair. Tear themselves from a blanket they wished they could wear. But here’s the T. Getting ready shouldn’t be like training for the olympics. It should be slow, mindful, and most importantly fun! Enter a Christmas feast for the senses. Sober besties? I got you. Vegan? Even better. Enter more snacks than you have common sense. Sweet and salty popcorn? Why not. But careful, your cats are trying to steal your treats! Your go to? Tesco’s Finest Cheese and Onion Christmas that taste banginggg. Vegan crispies without the moo-moo milking? Yes please. You sneak in a vegan cheeseboard with crackers and chutney. Netflix’s fireplace on the telly, so you can pretend you’re rich. You pour non-alcoholic sparkling wine into a T-Rex mug. It’ll get you buzzed for the night ahead. Plotting dancefloor domination, one cha-cha at a time. And who could forget the vegan hazelnut choccy? Moral support so indulgent, you had a heart attack.
3. Wrap Presents For The Christmas Party & Pray For Payday
You are famously bad at wrapping presents. Not haha, that’s cute. But the kind where your family stages an intervention. Even though you watch one tutorial every year, it lies to you. According to the internet, you fold, tuck and tape neatly. But you? Panic and create a paper-based incident. You measure nothing, cut with confidence. Oops. Too much paper. Yet somehow the present is still exposed. Like it’s trying to escape its papery prison. Corners? Conceptual. Tape sticking to your fingers. Check. Hair stuck to the present? Yep, losing the will to live. But then something changes. Wrapping gifts becomes fun, because you are so bad at it. You see it as a talking point. Hide mismatched lengths with bows past their due. By the end, you pray for payday. Sweating like you ran a marathon. 50 presents wrapped later. Your partner laughs. Says ‘Aw you wrapped this yourself?’. It’s not a compliment. But it will be ripped apart in six seconds. And that’s what makes you embrace the stress-free Christmas mantra. Nothings temporary. YOLO and all that.
4. Put On Christmas Music That You Pretend To Hate…
You pretend to hate Christmas music. Tutting and rolling your eyes everytime it follows you. Into a shop, lift, cafe, you can’t catch a break. Even when sitting on the loo, you hear Last Christmas. For the seventeeth time. Even though you did not last Christmas. You barely lasted Tuesday. Every track written with ‘torture in mind’. By someone whose never worked retail. Never felt true despair under fluorescent lighting. But that was the old you. At home, you don’t have to pretend. You dance under the Christmas tree, two left feet. Pretending you know how to salsa with a black cat under the tree. Jingle Bells on the telly, you imagine its snowing. The track moves into ‘Let It Snow’, you think its fate. Your tabby looking at you with fearful eyes. Knowing that you want to dress them up as a snowman. Their plaintative meows reminding you, that an xmas party awaits. ‘Fairytale of New York’ hits as you pretend to hate the cheesiness. Humming a little louder than the last. You spin around in a sequin dress, watching the sequins catch the light. Give a squeal like you’re an extra in Babe. Mouthing the words to every song like you’re auditioning for a holiday special.
Vegan Skincare & Festive Makeup Shenanigans
Technically, this is your first, and last step. But to be honest, prepping your skin before your stress-free Christmas Party, deserves a section of its own. You light a candle to get in the mindful mood. You pop on a vegan sheet mask, for glowy skin. You look into the mirror, laughing at your eyes peeking through the sheet holes. It reminds you of Alyssa Edwards from Drag Race, serving face as per usual. If you don’t look like an extra for Central London’s Xmas lights, you don’t want to know. You have sensitive skin, so you don’t want to overload it with products. Trying your best to not look like Red Skull from Marvel. Starting with a gentle cleanser infused with roobibos. You pat your skin dry with a soft towel. Apply a fragrance free moisturiser, that glides onto your skin like Santa sprinkled magic. Finish off with a primer to go underneath your festive makeup. You brush on your foundation with a sponge. Add a reddish-pink blush onto the apples of your cheek. Dab highlight onto your nose and cheeks, like you’re Frosty The Snowman. Sleigh-bell heavy bangers play on the TV, as you bash your head in time to the music. Brush your eyebrows with castor oil, before applying pomade. You mix burgundy and gold onto your hooded lids. A sweep of black mascara, burgundy matte lips. You gaze at your reflection in the bathroom mirror. Wait, is that Rudolph? What’s he doing here.
Keep Calm and Jingle On
Stress-Free Christmas party prep doesn’t have to be chaotic. With a curated toolkit, a magical vegan outfit that transitions from boardroom boss to sparkly holiday queen, and a sense of humor sharper than tinsel scissors, you can glide from desk to dancefloor like a glittered ice-skater in stilettos. So: wrap those presents, sip that decaf oat latte, and let London’s lights guide you. Tonight, you are the embodiment of festive magic: chic, cheerful, and cruelty-free. Desk? Conquered. Party? Owned. You head outside, no rain thankfully. Happy you don’t get a soggy bottom. You tuck your hands into faux fur pockets, your bag swinging behind you with glee. You tell yourself you won’t get defeated by crowds tonight. Absolutely not. Even if you’re playing Twister on the tube. You’ve got places to be and angels to dance under.
So you power walk with confidence. Pretending you aren’t being delivered like an Evri parcel. Thrown into your garden for the wolves to play with. You pretend this is the pace you wanted all along. Someone stops dead in front of you. ARGHHH, no way out. A child waving a candycane like a weapon. But still you keep calm. Imagining gliding through a serene Christmas market. Ice skating, when you’ve skated once when you were 10. Also you cut your legs on the ice. Then you finally break free. Regent Street appears, glowing like it’s auditioning for the celestial Olympics. The Angels sparkle. You straighten your shoulders, breathe in the cold air, and pretend the entire crowd behind you isn’t practically standing on your coat hem. For a moment, it’s just you, the lights… and the fantasy that this magical scene wasn’t absolute chaos five seconds ago. You twirl in your burgundy sequin dress. Sprinkling imaginary glitter, like you aren’t an absolute weirdo.
Last minute tips before you go?
- Remember to breathe. It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. You get triggered easily. Allow yourself to calm down without judgement. Let the night roll over you.
- Don’t Rush. Even if you are under a time limit, rushing your routine will make you more anxious. As the famous saying goes ‘nothing can bring you peace but yourself’
- Plan In Advance. You are someone that needs organization to keep you on track. Whether it is a simple to do list, calendar, or making space for time, you’ve got this.
What’s In Your Stress-Free Christmas Party Toolkit?
*Disclaimer
Please note this is a paid collaboration with Very UK, but all thoughts are my own and are not affected by monetary compensation. I would love to know what you do to have a stress-free Christmas party!
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