Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but for those of us living with a debilitating chronic illness, it is often also the most challenging and exhausting time of year for us, too.
We suddenly have to find extra (but non-existent) spoons to do all those necessary Christmas tasks like decorating our homes for Christmas, wrapping presents, hosting or visiting family and friends and cooking a feast, while also navigating our usual daily hurdles that already take it out of us. This can leave many of us in too much pain or too exhausted to mobilise and get out and about to enjoy the festivities, which can be so difficult to accept if you love Christmas- especially if you were once able to enjoy the holidays without your body holding you back.
The good news is, there are still plenty of ways you can immerse yourself in the Christmas spirit with a chronic illness, even while resting in bed or on your sofa. You don't have to miss out on all the festive fun just because you can't go out to the Christmas party, enjoy the Christmas markets, or travel to see family. In fact, I've come up with a list of 50 things to do this Christmas for all you spoonies, with everything from making your own Christmas cards to enjoying a Christmas movie marathon to give you a few ideas. Obviously, what you can do will depend on your personal circumstances, as everyone's conditions affect them differently, but I hope there are ideas here to make everyone's December a little more festive. If you don't have a chronic illness or an ongoing illness or injury, don't worry; all of these ideas are suitable for all you able-bodied folks, too.
We suddenly have to find extra (but non-existent) spoons to do all those necessary Christmas tasks like decorating our homes for Christmas, wrapping presents, hosting or visiting family and friends and cooking a feast, while also navigating our usual daily hurdles that already take it out of us. This can leave many of us in too much pain or too exhausted to mobilise and get out and about to enjoy the festivities, which can be so difficult to accept if you love Christmas- especially if you were once able to enjoy the holidays without your body holding you back.
The good news is, there are still plenty of ways you can immerse yourself in the Christmas spirit with a chronic illness, even while resting in bed or on your sofa. You don't have to miss out on all the festive fun just because you can't go out to the Christmas party, enjoy the Christmas markets, or travel to see family. In fact, I've come up with a list of 50 things to do this Christmas for all you spoonies, with everything from making your own Christmas cards to enjoying a Christmas movie marathon to give you a few ideas. Obviously, what you can do will depend on your personal circumstances, as everyone's conditions affect them differently, but I hope there are ideas here to make everyone's December a little more festive. If you don't have a chronic illness or an ongoing illness or injury, don't worry; all of these ideas are suitable for all you able-bodied folks, too.
1. Have at least one Christmas movie marathon. You could also try to watch as many Christmas films as you can before Christmas is over.
2. Read a Christmas novel... or challenge yourself to read a set number of Christmas-themed novels by New Year's. I'd recommend Little Women and A Christmas Carol.
3. Watch festive TV. All those Christmas specials, craft shows, and cookery programmes never fail to get me in the festive spirit.
4. Relax with a Christmas colouring book. There are so many great ones for adults now, like Johanna's Christmas and Christmas to Color. Grab some coloured pencils and a lap tray, and you'll soon feel any stress lifting away as you get stuck in.
5. Sew a Christmas cross stitch or embroidery. I'm currently making this cross stitch from Satsuma Street.
6. Make your own Christmas crackers. I like to make and fill my own every year.
7. Play a board game. You could even play one from your bed, and get someone else to move the pieces for you if you're not up to stretching.
8. Play a festive computer game. I'm currently playing Animal Crossing New Leaf which allows you to collect Christmas furniture and clothes, has festive activities, and has even started to snow! My holly bushes are in bloom, and I've even added a Christmas path to my town. You also get to start making snowmen when the snow blankets the ground for Winter from mid-month! It's really fun and can keep me occupied for hours.
9. Dress in a festive outfit. Nothing makes you feel more festive than wearing your best Christmas jumpers, dresses, and / or jewellery.
10. Dress your pet up for Christmas. You may need to stay in your PJs, but that doesn't mean you can't dress your dog up in a Christmas jumper and a pair of antlers and take a million photos of them looking cute and humiliated.
11. Beat the crowds and do all of your Christmas shopping online from the comfort of your warm, cosy bed or sofa.
12. Decorate your tree / home / bedroom for Christmas and turn your space in to a Winter Wonderland. If you're not up to decking the halls yourself, enlist someone to do it for you, so you can still enjoy the pretty decorations while you're resting.
13. Enjoy a hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, at home or at a coffee shop.
14. Bake and decorate Christmas cookies or cupcakes. If you need to skip steps to be able to do this, buy a cake mix or pre-baked dessert to make life easier, and then just decorate them at home.
15. Challenge yourself to wrap your Christmas presents as beautifully and creatively as you can.
16. Write your Christmas cards and letters. Use a lap-tray so you can write them comfortably from your bed or sofa.
17. Have a Christmas pamper night with festive scented beauty products, like face masks and bath bombs. Lush and The Body Shop always do the best festive products at this time of year.
18. If you like to write, why not have a go at writing some Christmas themed creative writing?
19. Make your own Christmas wreath to hang on the door or above the fireplace. You don't have to go down the traditional route and stick to foliage; you could make a Christmas pudding pom pom wreath, or asymmetric floral pom pom wreath.
20. Make some Christmas fabric hoop art. Take some festive fabric, frame them in embroidery hoops, sew up the backs, and hang on the wall. Easy.
21. Knit or crochet something festive. You could make Christmas decorations, garlands, blankets, scarves, even a Christmas jumper for yourself or your dog.
22. Do some festive art or bullet journaling, and get creative with your layouts.
23. If you're artistic, make some festive art.
24. If you can use your hands, why not have a go at some Christmas nail art? You'll find heaps of ideas on Pinterest.
25. Get out your favourite eyeshadows and try creating a killer festive make up look. I'm not talented enough to create a work of art, but I love wearing green on my lids at this time of year with a glittery liner.
26. Create and post lots of Christmas content on your blog.
27. Catch up on Blogmas posts from your favourite blogs.
28. Fill your Instagram account with festive photos.
29. Have fun filling out some festive Insta story templates.
30. If you can spare a few pounds this Christmas, put together a box of gifts for someone in need like the homeless or a child living in poverty.
31. Learn how to play a piece of Christmas music on an instrument.
32. Make a festive playlist full of your favourite Christmas songs, and listen to it up loud at every opportunity.
33. Sing along to your favourite festive tunes. It never fails to lighten the mood.
34. Forgot the diet, and treat yourself to lots of delicious holiday treats. You deserve it.
35. Invite a friend over for coffee / wine, and Christmas nibbles.
36. Have a festive girls / guys night in, with festive films, tunes, drinks, and food.
37. Enjoy an Advent calendar every day of Advent. A little treat every day could make your days a little brighter.
38. Light an Advent candle or delicious festive-scented candles every night to make those dark December evenings extra cosy.
39. Use Christmas crockery and mugs for all of your December meals, snacks, and beverages. It's the little things in life...
40. If you can mobilise a little and have the energy, you could even have a go at creating a beautiful Christmas tablescape for your Christmas meal.
41. Make a Christmas cake or pudding to impress your guests with this Christmas.
42. Look through old photos taken at Christmas time, and reminisce about Christmases past.
43. Try to recreate an old family photo taken at Christmas time, and give everyone something to laugh and get nostalgic about this Christmas.
44. Have a go at make your own Christmas cards. You'll find everything you'll ever need for card-making in craft shops like Hobbycraft.
45. Create Elf on a Shelf escapades for your kids- or Instagram account.
46. Blog honestly about life with chronic illness at Christmas. It's not all roses, I can assure you.
47. Put a stocking together for your loved one(s), and fill with the loveliest gifts you can find.
48. Make a garland for the tree or banister. You could string up popcorn and cranberries the old fashioned way, make it out of pom poms, or even crochet one. The possibilities are endless.
49. Create your Christmas list on Pinterest, so if anyone asks you what you want for Christmas, you can point them in the right direction.
50. And if all else fails, wear cosy new Christmas pyjamas all month, so you can feel festive even when you're resting in bed or lying on the sofa struggling through a flare and a nasty bought of fatigue.
And those are 50 things you may be able to do this Christmas if you have a chronic illness.
I hope my list has given you a few ideas, and that you're able to enjoy some of the festivities this Christmas, even if you're too ill to participate in the big things like Christmas parties and travelling to see family.
What Christmas activities do you enjoy despite your chronic illnesses?
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