Anyone stressed about having the “perfect” Christmas should try to rationalise their thoughts – and if that fails, pretend the turkey is a big chicken. 

That’s according to Christmas Eve on Newstalk host Bobby Kerr, who spoke to psychologist Stephanie Regan about how to stay calm over Christmas. 

“The excitement has a lovely feeling about it,” she said. 

“But sometimes that excitement can kind of turn into a feeling of, ‘Oh have I everything done’ and anxiety - ‘Have I left anything out, have I missed things’. 

“People go into that kind of spirals - you have to be careful not to get caught in that.” 

Ms Regan said it’s natural for things to get a bit hectic over Christmas, especially if you’re hosting dinner – but you should plan for what to do if you get overwhelmed. 

“You have to kind of create a little space from those thoughts,” she said. “Create a little space for yourself. 

“Take a little time, whether it's in the kitchen or otherwise, take a little timeout... whether it’s a walk or a bath.” 

'The feeling of Christmas'

She also said people should remember what Christmas Day is all about. 

“Something I often remind people is that when you're getting very busy to remember that what people remember about Christmas is the feeling,” she said. 

“Of course, we have memories with little, little specifics. But if you think about it, it's the feeling of Christmas, the feeling of being together. 

“People get caught up a little bit in that ‘Christmas needs to be perfect’, but you can spoil what you’re trying to achieve. 

“It needs to feel good more than it needs to look good.” 

'A big chicken'

When people take a step back, they will realise everything is going fine and people can have a great celebration. 

Bobby said he always follows the advice he once received from a chef on how to stay calm. 

“Treat the turkey like a big chicken,” he said. “You'll never go wrong, and you need to apply that thinking to more of the activities.” 

As you prepare for Christmas Day, any little ones excited for Santa's visit tonight can keep an eye on him on the official Santa tracker.