Who has time to read this time of year you may ask? Not many of us I would think, however reading is a great way to relax, so rather than committing to a novel, and there are many festive themed ones, why not try a book which you can dip in and out of? Like, Christmas is Coming by Auriol Bishop

This fabulous book is filled with poems, stories, traditions from around the world, and ideas for things to make. This would be a prefect thing to share with the family after school or before bed time, but it would also be a lovely way to unwind from the stresses of the day before sleep, rather than making mental to-do lists for the next day.

Did you know there is an Icelandic tradition to gift books on Christmas Eve? It is called Jólabókaflód, or “Christmas book flood”. You spend the rest of the evening reading - curled up in bed with a hot chocolate optional. Sounds a rather splendid tradition to us here at Guinea HQ!

I think everyone is guilty in the run up to Christmas about not eating enough nutritious fruit and vegetables- fruit and nut chocolate sadly doesn't count!

It is also the season of rich comfort food, which can make you feel sluggish, so why not give a Christmas salad a go.

There are many delicious Christmas salad recipes from Good Food but honestly, if you have never given raw shredded brussels sprouts in a salad a try, you simply must! This one by Love & Lemons looks delicious.

There is a plethora of Christmas films and series constantly dropping onto streaming platforms, far too many for us to recommend, but what the Guinea Confidential would recommend this time of year is revisiting an old favourite instead. 

So whether you are curled up on the sofa with the kids or you have something playing in the background while you wrap presents, why not indulge in a bit of nostalgia with a Christmas Classic.

We asked the Guinea HQ team for their recommendations and there certainly was a mix of what they considered a Christmas must watch! 

Lottie and Sara recommended the childhood classics The Snowman and Home Alone, while Hattie and Jo love a modern day comedy classic like Love Actually, The Holiday or Elf. Rowan enjoys the wonderful musical White Christmas, while Emma ever the unconventional, recommends the action film Die Hard. Hardly heart warming but she argues Hans Gruber is the Grinch who tries to steal Christmas from Nakatomi Plaza!

Traditions don't have to be expensive or time consuming. So whether you are looking to create new family traditions or just add to the ones you already have, here are some ideas which can be done easily and added to year on year.

*Buy a new Christmas tree decoration each year which has meaning. This can celebrate something you have done that year, somewhere you have been, or your children can start building their own collection reflecting their growing and evolving personality.

*You no longer have to make gingerbread and buy decorating supplies which will eventually get thrown way, instead there are plenty of kits on the market such as this Christmas Gingerbread Decorating Kit by Lottie Shaw's. So whether you want to decorate traditional gingerbread men and women, a house, or reindeers, you can ice them as simple or as complex as your skills or heart desires.

*Dust off the board games. It is a wonderful way to spend time with family or friends.

*If you have the space, why not set up a festive jigsaw puzzle on a table and encourage everybody to have a go at completing a section.

*Create a Christmas Eve Box. For children and adults alike. Fill with new pyjamas, bed socks, blankets, and the odd treat or two, for the kids add colouring or sticker books and keep them occupied while you finish those frantic last minutes bits and pieces which need doing. 

For the adults, why not include a mini bottle of Baileys to add to a hot chocolate as a well earned reward! 

Christmas can be extremely overwhelming and by the time mid December is approaching, you can already be tired of being bombarded by Christmas music, so what do you listen to instead while you are tidying the house, excavating the decorations, or trying to grabble putting together the Children's costumes for the end of term play?

We would highly recommending getting the Audible app. You can choose from books, podcasts, radio plays and even classic episodes of comedy.

So if you are feeling a bit Bah Humbug why not spend a few hours immersed in a fictional world or laugh along with BBC comedy to reignite your spirit of Christmas.