As I write this blog there are 27 sleeps until Christmas Day. That means we have had 338 sleeps since Christmas last. 

 Does anyone reading this feel they have had 338 sleeps since they sat around the Christmas tree and opened presents and drank Christmas Cheer? I know I certainly don't. 

 We constantly complain about/acknowledge/lament the fact time is moving too quickly. This Christmas I am going to make a concerted effort to take Christmas Day a little slower. 

 The Cameron Family will be spending Christmas Day in Canberra this year (on our way to Adelaide via The Great Ocean Road), and will be spending a couple of days over Christmas with other family members and friends, so I have been thinking of a couple of ways I can try to slow the day down a little bit, all the better to savour the special moments we so easily forget. 

 This is what I have come up with so far: 

 1. Get up a little earlier in the morning (my children are older now and thankfully no longer wake before dawn on Christmas morning). Even an extra half an hour might make a difference. 

 2. Spend time to have a sit down, quality, one on one conversation with each of our friends and family we will be spending Christmas day with – this is something very special which does not seem to happen often enough during the year. Families can't always be together for Christmas (assuming they want to) so we need to treasure the Christmases we have together while we can. 

 3. Our family have decided not to give each other presents this Christmas. Apart from the real reasons we have made this decision, this will save us at least a couple of hours by not having to unwrap presents and not having to field the endless "can we open another one yet?" questions. 

 4. Eat less. The aim behind this one is if I eat less, my body won't be forcing me to take a nanna nap in the middle of the afternoon so it can digest a huge lunch, and this will save me a half hour or so of valuable time better spent doing things other than checking my eyelids for light leaks. 

 5. Delegate someone else to do the cleaning up after lunch. Given the two youngest members of the family are more than tall enough to reach the kitchen sink, and are Champions at dishwasher stacking (if my niece has one), I believe I will attempt to delegate this task to them – wish me luck! 

 6. Stay up late. This one may be a little harder to achieve, especially given idea number 1 and the lack of recharge usually provided by idea number 4, but we will see how we go. 

 Regardless of how you intend to spend your Christmas for 2013, and whether you want time to speed by or to slow down to less than snail's pace, I wish each and everyone one of you a wonderful, safe and happy Christmas. 

 Remember to wonder at the magnificence of the colourful Christmas Lights, savour the delightful strains of Elvis singing Christmas Carols, and glory in the glow of laughter from watching your husband dressing up as Santa Claus (possibly without needing a pillow as tummy stuffing)!