US 
Is there any better time than Christmas? Lights around the house, ornaments on the tree, gingerbread scented candles, food within arm reach all day long! I absolutely love it, but it is a time of year with a lot of challenges.
Christmas can be hugely stressful and overstimulating particularly whilst considering your stoma, here are some tips on how to manage the season a little better.
Food
Through December there is just so much food, nibbles on the desk at work, big tubs of chocolate, Christmas lunches with all the trimmings and the desserts. I don’t have any huge issues with food, my main problem is bag bursts through the night after eating a lot.
Pick food choices that work for you, don’t feel pressured into a roast dinner if you can’t eat most of the contents, have a pasta dish or a pizza if it suits you better.
Prepare for the outcome! For this I make sure I have some waterproof bed mats just to save my bedding and empty my bag as close to going to sleep as I can even if my eyes are half shut.
Drinks
I love a cocktail, but this is an easy time of year to become dehydrated. I tend to drink alcohol and soft drinks at the start of the night but once a party gets going, I usually stick to water until I go to bed, the bonus being I don’t wake up with a headache!
Drink what suits you, maybe a glass of fizz to bring in the new year and orange squash after that, people probably won’t even notice and it’s so worth it to feel good the next day.
Outfits
Wear something comfortable.
I always used to wear jeans for a special occasion, but I’ve got into far too many situations – they are uncomfortable, never have enough space for my bag to fill and have led to a few leaks. I have started to wear leggings or dresses as they tend to give me more room to stretch, I need it for all the food! This year for my work night out I wore a jumpsuit which was so comfortable and didn’t show my bag at all, but I didn’t consider that I would have to pull the whole outfit down every time I visited the bathroom.
Supplies
Working hours change a lot around the Christmas period so it is very important to order your supplies with plenty of time to spare to prepare for missed deliveries or trips away and make sure you have enough of your prescribed medications to avoid a panicked phone call to 111 on Boxing Day.
If you are spending time away from home take at least double what you would normally use, I usually take far too much but I would rather bring it all home than be caught out.
Prioritise yourself
The festive season is an exhausting time of year, long drives to friends and family, early mornings and late nights, socialising for hours on end.
We have always tried to get out and about early in the morning to get some fresh air before all the good food and television starts. I like to spend Christmas day with minimal people and visit family throughout the week to avoid burning out.
Keep some sort of structure or routine, we all know the days between Christmas and New Year morph into one and it is over before you know it. Having routine can help keep some normality and stability in such a busy time.
Don’t be afraid to say no to some things, remember Christmas is a time for relaxing and recharging so make the most of it and make some time for yourself.
Having a stoma will never stop you from enjoying Christmas it is just worth making some small preparations to make the season much more enjoyable.
I hope you all have an amazing Christmas – you deserve it!