How to Avoid the Christmas Crowds
Whether it’s social anxiety or an intense dislike for a noisy crowd, not everyone enjoys the loud, hustling and bustling nature of Christmas. After all, it’s not new to suggest that Christmas time can be an anxiety minefield for many people, so the thought of traipsing through Leicester and Birmingham town centres isn’t everyone’s idea of an amazing Christmas.
Consequently, here’s how you can avoid the Christmas crowds today and in the future!
Shop Early
Doing your shopping early is a brilliant way to avoid the Christmas rush. Even Leicester’s Haymarket Shopping Centre will be somewhat quieter if you start buying your gifts in September or October. There’ll be fewer queues at the tills, fewer chattering acquaintances bumping into each other and blocking the aisles, and just less faff navigating all the stores. Get in early!
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that you may miss out on a Christmas bargain or two if you do all your shopping well in advance. Still, you won’t get swept up in the Christmas fever, or suffer desired presents being out of stock. Additionally, you’ll also be less inclined to spend extra on your loved ones if there’s no ‘Christmas spirit’ urging you to spend too much money.
Online Shopping
Often, social anxiety isn’t an excuse to not buy any close friends and family anything for Christmas, even if you want to stay indoors. Everyone is expected to both give and receive a gift or two. That said, if you’re not feeling up to heading into The Bull Ring to undertake some Christmas shopping, there are online alternatives.
Today, you can do just about anything online; companies like think money will help you open a basic bank account that you can access digitally. You can even do all your Christmas shopping on websites like Amazon for buying presents or Marks and Spencer’s if getting in some food! If that’s not enough, you can even attend to the finer details too, such as sending out digital, festive themed e-cards instead of going door to door. You won’t even have to nip out for stamps!
Rural Areas
Of course, even when you’re indoors the Christmas crowds can be testing. If you live in the heart of the city, no doubt there’ll be many celebratory cries coming straight through your window. Obviously, it’s nice to hear people laughing and having a good time, but after many consecutive days of the noise, it would start to grate even on the most patient of peoples.
Instead, you could turn your back on the city for part of the festive period and retreat to the rural countryside instead. The Midlands are rife with cottages that are fit for a quiet Christmas, so don’t let the isolating spell of a city make you feel trapped in all the chaos. Holidays are normal and great for transporting you to other environments, and more sedate spaces are a lot closer than you might think; out in the countryside!
