The accumulation of pressure and excitement leads to the inevitable moment on Christmas Day when someone has an emotional meltdown. Children often struggle on Christmas Day because of the constant build-up of excitement, perhaps fuelled by our actions as parents. So expect the fallout and absorb it as par for the Christmas Day course. When I ask myself, what do my children actually need from Christmas? I need to remind myself that my job isn’t to script the perfect day, but to create space for genuine moments to happen.

Source: Irish Examiner December 23, 2025 03:30 UTC