Joan Salmon’s Post

We all know Christmas is meant to be the most wonderful time of the year, but let’s be honest – it can also be a little spicy. With family, festive drinks and long-simmering dynamics all under one roof (not to mention the endless to-do lists), it’s no wonder the holiday magic feels a bit frayed when you’re the glue holding it all together. Here’s our advice: lower your expectations – then lower them again. The house will be chaotic, the kids will argue over the remote and the in-laws will definitely have opinions about, well, everything. But here’s the thing: accepting the hot mess as part of the deal unlocks the freedom to enjoy the moments that truly matter. The glimmers, like: ✨ Older kids delighting in caring for the little ones, all laughing hysterically together. ✨ A spontaneous visit to a quirky country pub, sharing chips and mulled wine while a fiddler plays in the corner. ✨ Cosying up to watch Home Alone for the billionth time. Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy and just the right amount of salty chaos this Christmas. #SaltAndSageStorytelling #HonestBranding #ContentThatConnects #StorytellingForBrands #SellWithoutTheCringe #WordsThatConvert #RealConnections

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀:"𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆... 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲." – 𝗝𝗼𝗲𝗹 Alright, men, Christmas is coming, and we all know what that means—chaos. If you’ve ever had to navigate this holiday madness, here’s your survival guide: 🎄 Gift Panic: It’s the 20th of December, and you’ve bought zero presents. Time for a mad dash to find something “meaningful” (candles and socks, anyone?). 🎄 Tree Drama: You picked the perfect tree... until you realise it’s about five feet taller than your living room. After some creative rearranging, it’s standing at a weird angle. The lights? Don’t even ask. 🎄 Food Fiasco: You’re in charge of Christmas dinner, but the recipe looks like it’s written in another language. Ingredients you don’t have, cooking times you don’t understand. Google to the rescue! 🎄 Family Holiday Game: The family is fighting over who gets to sit where, who controls the playlist, and of course, the dreaded “When are you getting married?” question. Classic. 🎄 Post-Christmas Crash: After all the chaos, you’ll collapse in a nap while sorting through wrapping paper, leftover chocolates, and that Christmas jumper you’ll never wear again. But hey, you survived! 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿! #ChristmasChaos #MensChristmasGuide #HolidayMadness #SurvivingTheHolidays

Picture is exactly what I plan for Christmas. We listen, we don't judge. (🥱) But Christmas isn’t just about the big things. We both know how easy it is to get caught up in the grand nature of Christmas. Or feel tempted to sell your house so you can buy someone a G Wagon (if you buy me one, who am I to say no?) or perfectly wrapped gifts and plans. But then, what if the magic of Christmas lives in the tiny, overlooked moments? For me, this Christmas is about the little things. The small joys that weave the spirit of the season into something truly meaningful. Here’s my short list of tiny Christmas moments: - stuffing myself with food (so necessary). - texting or calling people who touched my life this year. - watching twinkling lights flicker while the world feels quieter. - watching a cheesy Hallmark movie. This season, I’m leaning into the simple joys, the subtle warmth of connection, and the beauty of slowing down. After all, Jesus is the reason for the season. What's a 'tiny' Christmas thing you plan to do today?

May your Christmas be as magical as a Netflix movie where everyone finds love, yet somehow nobody questions why a town of 300 people has four artisan bakeries. May your tree shine brighter than your aunt’s conspiracy theories, and may your gifts bring joy, even if they were clearly picked up at the gas station five minutes before arriving. This holiday season, let’s celebrate the things that truly matter: pretending to love fruitcake, strategically avoiding eye contact during family karaoke, and realizing too late that ‘Silent Night’ was never meant to be sung by tone-deaf uncles. May your stockings overflow with presents that aren’t socks, your holiday cheer last longer than your New Year’s hangover, and your opinions offend just enough people to make it interesting. And remember, Christmas is a time for miracles—like your cousin finally paying you back or the Wi-Fi staying strong when 12 people are streaming Netflix movies at once. Merry Christmas! May you survive the holidays with your dignity (and your ugly sweater) intact. And if not, well… at least there’s wine. 🎅

(some of) The hidden demands of an extended family Christmas 1. Being asked what you are reading when you’re just trying to relax. 2. Being asked about your video game when you’re getting on with some peaceful playing. Or being told you should be playing outside whilst it’s still light and not raining. 3. Other people talking about what you’ve been doing over the past year, and describing things you’ve made and done. 4. No space to be ‘off’. Even if you have a room for yourself someone might knock to check you’re okay or to ask if you want a drink or to tell you it’s time for games. 5. Family movies which last forever during which people comment if you start to double screen. 6. Comments on everything you do, from the chocolate you choose to the mince pie you don’t want to the washing up you didn’t volunteer for. 7. Questions about your achievements over the last year and your plans for the next. 8. Waiting for meals until someone else decides it’s time to eat. And then needing to say thank you for that. 9. Noise and jollity, and ‘is everyone having fun?’. 10. Tensions running high but undercover because we mustn’t ruin Christmas. It all simmers up, until it’s enough to make anyone explode. Christmas is a high pressure time, even when it's going well. They aren’t giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time. Handle with care.

Are you feeling the Christmas overwhem yet? If so I’m sure you’re not alone. Last year, I made some reels to talk about the different ways our thoughts can sabotage us during the festive period, including tips to tackle them. I thought they were worth a reshare. So here is the first instalment: 🎄Christmas Saboteurs: The Judge Part 1 How does the judge show up for you at this time of year? Christmas is supposed to be a time of love and joy but often it can become a time of stress and overwhelm. A lot of this can be down to our saboteurs and the big boss of these is the Judge! When our Judge is active we judge ourselves, others and circumstances and one small negative thought can spiral out of control to have a much bigger negative impact on our wellbeing and trigger the Judge in those around us. This definitely doesn’t bring the joy, love and connection we hope for at Christmas time. Let me know what resonated for you in the video and how the Judge shows up for you at this time or year. And check out part 2 tomorrow for some tips on how to tackle the Judge. 💚

How I procure my Christmas gifts? As a human being. Usually, if I don't make a happenstance discovery throughout the year already, I start thinking about it around October/November. But guess what? I don't trip into the endless rabbit hole that is modern shopping and Christmas madness. And to be honest I don't see any reason why anyone with a pinch of residual sanity should. Stressed out dads shoving Christmas Trees into their undersized cars while shouting aggressive BS towards their kids due to some arbitrarily projected inner trauma of their own. The list could go on. But this isn't about that. We are living in a world and society where seemingly everything and anything said outside oneself is collectively glorified to have some form of judgmental authority over what oneself thinks, feels and does. I simply wait. And let my intuition do the work based on what life offers in time. Let's stay real, of course I also had moments of ups and downs and existential anxiety about whether I'll find something at all. I'm not a robot. But the result? I just completed my family's gifts yesterday. And every single selected piece is chosen with intent and emotional purpose. Not some randomly selected and craved-by-the-masses whatchamacallit. So often we chase methods, wants and needs of others. Claim the luxury of carving your own path. If anything, try it once and go from there. 🍀

Yesterday was my birthday, and I understand that if you don’t post one of these 'in honor of my birthday' posts, social media gods will revoke your access: 🎂 “Here are XX things I’ve learned in XX years.” 🎂 “Here’s XX things I’m grateful for as I start my XX trip around the sun.” I am bored with both of those. So, I flipped the script and created a personal challenge: “In honor of my birthday, here are 51 things about me that make the world a better place.” It might sound a bit selfish, but as someone who defaults to people-pleasing, shying away from the spotlight, and staying in the background, it also felt like it could be really meaningful. Didn't realize HOW beneficial. I included personal and professional highlights. And while I’m not sharing the list itself - that part’s just for me, and that's the point - I’m sharing the concept in case it sparks something for you. Because I know I’ll come back to this list in the months ahead when imposter syndrome or self-doubt sneak in. We all need those reminders that we do have impact, value, and qualities that make life better for the people around us. And, by extension, for the world. So take a few minutes to take inventory of your own standout traits. Use that list when you need reassurance that you’re on the right track or when you just need a little boost. And you don’t have to wait for your birthday to do it. ♻ My birthday wish when I blew out my candles was for you to share this, so it might reach someone in your network who needs it. Also, follow Jeff Dauler. And subscribe to my totally free newsletter! p.s.: What's better than cookie cake? A treat so delicious that it's half-gone before you realize you didn't snap a pic of it!

Many of us carry an image of the “perfect Christmas” in our minds: beautifully wrapped gifts, beaming kids, a partner radiating happiness and a home filled with gratitude and cheer. But for some men, that vision comes with a quiet weight, a sense of dread about the relentless expectations, the need to keep up appearances and the moments that feel less like joy and more like obligation. And if you’re already asking yourself the quiet question “Should I stay or should I go”? Christmas can feel like an emotional battleground. The family dinners, the smiles for the kids, the moments with your partner that feel more strained than connected. It’s not that you don’t care, you do. But the gap between how things look on the outside and how they feel on the inside grows harder to ignore this time of year. Maybe you’re wondering: • Am I staying for them or for me? • What would it mean to let go of this version of us? • Is it possible to find my way back, or is it too late? These aren’t easy questions and Christmas can make them feel sharper. But avoiding them doesn’t make them go away. So, this year, start with honesty, not with anyone else, but with yourself. What do you need right now? What would it take to feel at peace with the life you’re living? You don’t have to have all the answers today, but you owe it to yourself to stop ignoring the question. What’s weighing on your mind this Christmas? Take good care of you.

Feeling the holiday spirit? Here’s how to spread the cheer online this Christmas! 🎄 The holiday season is all about connection, and your social media can reflect that! Here are 3 quick ways to spread festive cheer today: 1️⃣ Post a Holiday Greeting Video: A simple “Merry Christmas from our team to yours!” can go a long way in building community. 2️⃣ Share a Festive Poll or Question: Ask something fun like, “What’s your favorite holiday movie—Home Alone or The Grinch? 3️⃣ Highlight a Holiday Memory: Share a throwback to a past Christmas or something meaningful from this year. 🎁 Pro Tip: Keep it authentic and festive—your audience will appreciate the personal touch! How are you celebrating Christmas today? Let me know in the comments! 🎅 #MerryChristmas