5 Festive Hacks for Winning Christmas

Christmas is here and whether you’re ready to embrace it with open arms or feeling completely stressed, there’s no avoiding it. The festive period can be magical but even the biggest Christmas lover in the world will not be able to deny that it can be a stressful experience. However, help is at hand. Follow these five simple Christmas hacks and you’ll be winning Christmas in no time.

Embrace Free Activities

Christmas can be a very expensive period, but there are lots of things you can do to save money. This period is full of free activities all over the country to help you soak up the Christmas atmosphere from Christmas carol singing to bustling festive markets and live cribs. Make a big deal out of events like putting up the tree and decorating your home. If you have younger children, have a craft day and make your own handmade ornaments for the tree. Nothing beats a Christmas movie night with hot chocolate and blankets, so dive in and embrace the cosy season!

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

There’s no festive disaster that can’t be salvaged. If your Christmas tree is too small, stand it on a festively-decorated box. Fill in large gaps with green tinsel and if it’s too big, trim it down and use the branches to decorate the other parts of your home. Maybe the Christmas tree won’t be a problem at all, but the moral of the story is that everything will work out.

If you don’t have time to make it out shopping, do your Christmas shopping online. That way, your groceries and presents will arrive at your door and you don’t have to worry about finding parking or queuing. Read our tips on how to stay vigilant against fraud when shopping online.

AIB Card Reader

Christmas is a busy time. It’s also a time when there are plenty of payments! Be financially savvy and get ahead of one-off transfers easily using the AIB Card Reader. We know that you barely have time to pick up the turkey during the festive period, never mind finding time to pop into your local branch so the AIB Card Reader makes transferring money a breeze.

Use the AIB Card Reader for one-off transfers, setting up payees, new international payments and setting up/amending credit card bills and standing orders. The best part is that the AIB Card Reader is a shareable device, so one per household is ideal and if you have an emergency payment to process, you can easily use any AIB Card Reader to do so.

Ask For Help

Whether this is getting everyone to contribute and bring a dish for Christmas dinner or asking for someone to take care of wrapping your presents, you’ll find your stress will reduce greatly if you share the load.

If you find that you have too much to fit in around Christmas time, plan a post-Christmas activity with your loved ones instead. This will give everyone something to look forward to after Christmas and reduce that pre-Christmas stress as well.

Be Prepared

It’s never too early to get ahead for next year. When you’re taking down your decorations, think about your future self and label everything as you put them away. Wrap your lights up neatly with a wooden spoon or hanger and store anything delicate in separate plastic cups or egg boxes to keep them safe and organised. Next year, Christmas will start on a much more relaxed note as a result.

You can also get ahead financially by opening a flexible savings account such as the AIB Saver Account. Save what you want, how you want throughout the year and be thankful when next Christmas rolls around. With a competitive interest rate, your savings will be accessible anytime and you can choose to save as little as €10 per month.

Find Out More About The AIB Card Reader

If you have any additional questions on how to use the AIB Card Reader or setting up a savings account, connect with us on Facebook, or tweet us @AskAIB.

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Copyright Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. 1995.