The Great December Drift: How to Keep Your Energy (and Enthusiasm!) Up as We Slide Toward Christmas

If you’ve recently found yourself staring blankly into the fridge wondering why it’s full but there’s nothing for dinner… welcome. You are officially in the home stretch of the year, and you are amongst friends here. This is the Great December Drift — where energy is low, calendars are full, and everyone is just doing their best to hold it together until Christmas.

The truth is, the final weeks of the year are joyful… but also exhausting. Kids’ concerts, work deadlines, traffic that moves slower than a Christmas beetle, heat that melts your good intentions, and the ever-present question: What on earth are we having for dinner tonight? (Didn't they eat yesterday??!?)

If you’re feeling tired, a bit run-down, and slightly crispy around the edges - you’re not alone. I’m calling it for myself. Hands up if you'll join me.

To help you get through to the finish line with your sanity (and enthusiasm) intact, here are our best practical, gentle, and utterly doable tips for keeping energy levels high during this beautiful, frantic, festive season.

1. Eat in a way that nourishes — without creating more work for yourself

Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean complicated cooking. In fact, at this time of year, simple often is healthy.

Think fresh protein, veg, whole grains, and meals that don’t require 47 steps, a food processor and a trip to a specialist spice dealer. Think BBQs and fresh salads. Ready-made meals can also be a lifeline here - especially when they’re made from scratch, full of goodness, and land on your table in minutes (hello, time-saving meals!)

If you’re searching for healthy meals or ready-made family-style dinners, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. On the nights you’re too tired to cook - which, let’s be honest, may be most of them - letting someone else take care of dinner is not just convenient… it’s wise.

2. Outsource your festive cooking (your future self will thank you)

You don’t get extra points for doing Christmas the hard way.

Your time and energy are precious - and spending hours in the kitchen prepping roasts, salads, desserts, sides, and “just a few things to take to the neighbours” might not be the best use of your dwindling December bandwidth.

Our Christmas Collection is designed exactly for this moment. Whether you need a Turkey Breast Roll with Cranberry & Hazelnut Stuffing, a Pork Belly Roll with Gloriously Crispy Crackling, a Hot-Smoked Salmon with Chimichurri, or a full table of festive sides, we’ve created heat-and-serve dishes that turn Christmas Day from overwhelming to manageable.

Let us take care of the cooking so you can take care of the connecting.

3. Keep the basics simple

A few easy habits can genuinely boost your energy:

• Drink water first. Coffee is great (imperative we might say). But December hydration is better.
• Eat regularly. Nothing good comes from realising at 3pm you’ve skipped lunch.
• Rest where you can. Ten minutes with your eyes closed counts. Practice this when you can - it can be a game changer.
• Lower the bar. Not everything needs to be festive or photo-worthy. Sometimes “that’ll do” is the gift you give yourself.

These are the tiny choices that help prevent that creeping end-of-year burnout.

4. Protect your time like it’s a Christmas ham

Say yes to the things that are either genuinely necessary or bring real joy. Say no to the things that drain you. And if you’re not sure which is which — that’s usually a sign.

Streamline wherever possible:

• A shared family calendar (ask a junior recipe tester to set you up if you need tech assistance)
• A simple weekly plan
• A dinner plan that includes somebody else doing the cooking at least for one of two nights in the week

This is the season for kindness — including towards yourself.

5. Remember: food is not just fuel — it’s connection

As tired as we may be, this is also the time of year when coming together really matters. Sitting around the table - even for 20 minutes - grounds us. It gives us space to exhale. It recentres what’s important.

Good food makes that easier.

And when someone else cooks it for you, it becomes possible.

Need a simpler Christmas (and a gentler December)? We’re here to help.

If you’re searching for ready-made meals, or reliable, time-saving meals to carry you through the chaos, we’d love to cook for you.

Explore our Christmas Collection for larger gatherings with friends and family or stock the freezer with family favourites so weeknight dinners become one less thing to think about.

Order your ready-made meals here → www.dinneronthetable.com.au/collections

You take care of getting through the home stretch.
We’ll take care of dinner.