I Copied Princess Diana’s Holiday Strategy Here's What Happened

by Fayeruz Regan 12.2025

When I was a child, I was told that Princess Di finished her holiday shopping by Halloween to enjoy the holidays stress-free. At the time, I wasn’t yet saddled with being Christmas. Children are swept along with the tide, running in packs at adult Christmas parties and falling asleep on beds piled with coats. The cookies, the decorations, the presents – they all just magically appeared.

Fast forward to early adulthood, and the Princess Di anecdote resurfaced. I was balancing a new career and a flurry of holiday party invites. I prioritized the peppermint martinis over gift shopping and finding a decently priced flight home. I vowed that the following year I would follow Di’s example, which I did. And it worked.

Now I purchase presents throughout the year, wrap them, and store them on a basement shelf. I maintain an ongoing Christmas list on my Notes app. Now, when I tag along with friends doing holiday shopping, I sip on seasonal espresso drinks and peruse gifts for myself. When I see friends and family scrambling, do I feel a hint of self-righteousness? I do. I can’t help how much I enjoy it.

Everyone should experience this freedom. Because the thing I haven’t said is the most important thing of all: Princess Di’s trick allows all of us to be a little more present during the holidays. As adults, especially Type As such as myself, it’s nearly impossible to be in the present. We are silently going over lists, mulling past decisions, and planning what’s next. The noise crescendos during the holidays – especially if you’re a parent. The baking, the RSVPs, stringing lights, ad infinitum. For me, I’ve become Christmas both at home, and at work. As the marketing director at a law firm, I am in charge of office décor, hand-delivering bourbon to dozens of businesses, and the holiday party. Did I mention I also sell my art at holiday markets?

Being more present means experiencing the warm and fuzzies so prevalent in cheesy Hallmark movies. The small towns with the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker? What those movies lack in substance is more than made up for by the vibes. Cozy, gingerbread, snowy vibes. These movies shouldn’t be an escape as much as they should be a north star. But for many, even the sound of Christmas carols is a ticking time bomb – a stressful reminder that time is running out. Films use holiday music as mocking, like playing The Most Wonderful Time of the Year as we watch families battering one another in slow motion, vying for a limited-edition toy.

Being present makes carols joyful again. It makes decorating the tree leisurely. It makes baking less of a chore, and more sweet. The drawback to shopping early is that you will get wish lists in November and December, long after you’ve purchased other things. But if you are thoughtful, they’ll love your gift. If they’re smart, they’ll tell you what they want over the summer.

Princess Di’s example is one of the many ways I chase after the holiday magic I experienced as a child. I’d sing and dance to some Alvin and the Chipmunks 8-track in our living room. It was bright blue and I played it on a loop. Our living room smelled of fresh pine from our real tree, dotted with red velvet ribbons. I joined our neighborhood’s caroling troupe, and those nights were magical. Neighbors would prepare for our arrival with ready-made hot cocoa and marshmallows and cookies. I remember putting teeth marks in my Styrofoam cups as I ventured from home to home.

My father won a poinsettia every year from our neighborhood association for having the most festive lights. Think Clark Griswold. Kids on the bus would tease that a plane almost made an accidental landing in our yard, as our sidewalk resembled a runway. My uncle was even more intense. He put kids on a running train through his yard, dressed like Santa, and had family singing Christmas carols on the front porch. He was a fixture on the D.C. news every year.

The next best thing to being a kid at Christmas is having a kid at Christmas. I carry on some traditions to try and recapture that magic. But most of all, it’s to see my son experiencing it. We buy fresh trees every year, see the Nutcracker, and bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And it feels pretty magical, all thanks to Princess Di.