If you're with someone who would rather leave everything to you at Christmas, here are some tips to get them more involved because let's face it- this should be a shared effort not down to one person.
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Talk about it early- If you get them used to the idea early on, then they may be more enthusiastic nearer the time. If they are well prepared they have no excuse to moan!
Make a list- Of people you need to buy for, any present ideas and where to buy them from to make it as easy as possible for them when they go shopping on their own or with you. Do one for food and one for jobs too then you can work down it and tick everything off as you go.
Give them a project- Whether it's writing the Christmas cards, prepping the turkey, or buying a special gift for a certain person- make sure they have a focus so you don't end up doing everything yourself. If it's a single yet big project- all the better!
Ask for their input- If you're struggling for ideas for their side of the family- ask for their opinion- they might just surprise you.
Update them- Tell them what you've bought for each person so they don't look surprised on Christmas morning or when someone thanks them for a gift. And ask them to do the same so you don't overlap on anything.
Wrap the gifts together- It's only fair that if you have bought all the gifts that you get some assistance with the next step. Put on some Christmas music or a movie and wrap away. Two heads are better than one if there's a possibility you've forgotten someone or something.
Agree on a budget- A lot of the anxiety can arise from spending so much money- so set a budget for each person and don't exceed it. That way you know exactly what you will be forking out over the festive period between you.
Talk about food- They say the way to a someone's heart is through their stomach- so make sure they go food shopping with you and discuss what they want on the big day. They may not like talking about gifts but they will certainly like talking about all the food you'll be eating and booze you'll be putting away.
Re-cap- If you've put them in charge of something- ask them where they're up to with it- they may need a nudge or they may have it all under control but it's good to ask before it's too late.
Try to make it fun- If either of you become stressed- it will boomerang back and forth between you and make you both learn to hate Christmas. If you do everything in good time, are decisive and budget well, there should be no reason to get to this point. You need to work well as a team for everything to go smoothly so tell them when you need their help and clear what it is that you want them to do.