I cannot think of Christmas without thinking of friends and family. But most of all I cannot separate it from children. I see children playing in my minds eye and I can hear their laughter and sounds of excitement and pleasure. It is a time of joy, togetherness and all things that celebrate family life.

However, I have no intention of being the happy little homemaker this season. I am going to play the beautiful modern mamma not the hassled housewife terrorised by the demands of children and in-laws alike.

It is true it can get very irritating when you are trying to put the house in order, bake, plan or even decorate the Christmas tree, and the very people you are making all the effort for are getting in your way. They mess up the living room you just tidied and one of them, (nobody ever seems to know the culprit) has taken a big slice of the cake you baked early for Christmas! - And that’s just an example.

The scenario

Will the madness ever stop? Anyhow, you’re the mummy and they are just kids after all. So like the good working mom you are, you decide to enjoy the time off work to be the "perfect” little wife and mom and like a seasoned home-maker take it all in your stride. Take a deep breath.... brain rewired to accept that cake must be re-baked and you turn your mind to decorating the Christmas tree.  

At least that should take your mind off the cake disaster. After half an hour of searching everywhere for the Christmas lights you were so sure you had kept at the back of the wardrobe in your bedroom you give up on the fruitless search.

You get this lovely idea to send the nanny off to the cinema with the kids so you can have an early dinner for two with dear hubby and as you walk past the living room you see something that sinks your heart right back into your guts. Your 3 year old has wrapped herself in the Christmas lights! But that’s not all; she has also started to remove the little coloured bulbs one by one.

This is only an extract out of one afternoon in the few days before Christmas. Believe me the holiday season can get very colourful, stressful and exhausting. The leave days you get off work are really nothing near relaxing. If you are not careful, you are bound to return back to work exhausted and tense and not at all as fresh as the New Year you just ushered in.

The vision

It is very important for the modern homemaker to put together the right contact list. Just like the traditional housewife, even the modern homemaker must have great planning skills. However, the beautiful modern momma can delegate the details to ‘off-site’ execution by others.

Today there are bakeries to do the Christmas cake; caterers to prepare the food; florists for the flowers and you can now buy a pre-decorated Christmas tree. So this year we shall go out, have fun and no one will be hassled with preparations or worried about Boxing Day clean-up.

After all it is only one day- I do not want to spend it slaving away. I just want to spend quality time with my children and husband. This is probably the only time of the year when we are all on holiday! We shall have modern family bonding this Christmas.