Christmas and arthritis

Top festive tips and advice

Although Christmas and the festive season can be fun, it can also bring with it a lot of stress — especially when you live with arthritis or a long-term condition. We know it can be tough. So, to give you a helping hand, we asked people with arthritis for their tips and advice on making the holidays a little easier.  

Plan and pace yourself

If you feel like you’ve got a never-ending to-do list, try not to put too much pressure on yourself.  

On good days, when your pain isn’t too bad, it’s easy to overdo it. But this can lead to more pain and fatigue. This is sometimes called the ‘boom and bust’ cycle.  

To help manage your energy levels, try to plan and pace yourself to manage fatigue. This simply means balancing the activities you need to do with breaks and rest.   

For instance: 

• You could decorate your home over a few days, room by room, rather than in one day. Why not ask family or friends to lend a hand and make an occasion of it? 
• When buying groceries, you could do a few small shops over several days, rather than one big shop, then there's less to organise and put away.
• Christmas shopping is fun but can be tiring when shops are crowded and there are long queues. If you find shopping in-person exhausting, you could make the most of online shopping or make a gift list and ask someone to collect your shopping for you.
• Prepare as much as you can in advance if you’re cooking a festive meal and try to do it in short bursts. Batch cook on a day when you’re not in as much pain.
• If you’re wrapping presents, you could wrap a few presents every couple of days instead of doing them all in one day. Buy gift bags instead of wrapping paper if you have arthritis in your hands or fingers so there's no need to cut and fold wrapping paper or stick with tape.
• If you’re travelling to visit friends or family, take a rest break along the journey so you can get out of the car and stretch your legs.
• Schedule time to rest the day before and the day after a hectic day to manage your fatigue.  

How to manage your emotions

At Christmas, we often get together with family and friends. This can be exhausting if we take on too much and sometimes relationships can be testing. Learn to say 'no' to manage what you can take on.

There are lots of different ways to relax. Some people find that mindfulness helps them. Others find meditation, yoga, or listening to relaxing music beneficial. 

If you're in pain or can’t do something, it might make you short-tempered or feel low. On the other hand, feeling positive about finding a solution or focusing on things you can do makes arthritis symptoms easier to deal with especially at busy times of year. 

Fatigue can be a big problem for many people with arthritis. Build extra time into your schedule so you can rest between family gatherings or meeting friends.

Check in with friends and family

If you're feeling isolated or lonely, stay connected to family, friends and your local community. Follow your interests (join a gardening club, book club or singing group, for example). We have local branches and groups all over the UK – many have coffee mornings, activity groups and other social events. There’s something to suit everyone.

Reach out to those who may be struggling too. A small act of kindness, like giving family a call, writing a card to a friend, or meeting up for coffee or a walk will help you build connections. Asking a friend or family member if they are okay, can make a huge difference to someone’s day.

How to manage your arthritis 

From staying active to eating well and getting a good night’s sleep, there are lots of small ways you can manage your condition and manage your arthritis symptoms. 

Keep active

Even though you might be busier than usual, still schedule time to do the activities that help you cope with pain and fatigue like daily walks, rest breaks and stretching. We have lots of ideas around exercising with arthritis, how to get started and the types of exercise that are beneficial, as well as gentle stretching videos and tai chi.

Eat well

It can be harder to control the food we eat during the festive season, with set menus, meals at other people’s houses and the temptation to snack. While it's fine to indulge a little, stick to a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight and eat well as best you can. 

Embrace technology

There are many different types of helpful apps and aids that can make your life at home or when you're out and about much easier. At this busy time of year, you might find a gadget for your kitchen such as a tilting kettle or an easy can opener useful or a phone app that helps you to track your symptoms or note your medication, appointments, shopping or ‘to-do’ lists. There are a range of useful gadgets that make living with arthritis easier in our online Shop.

Medication

If you are taking medication to manage your pain or condition, take stock of your supplies in the run up to Christmas and plan ahead so that you don't run out when your local pharmacy is seasonally closed.

Alcohol

Alcohol can increase some side effects, such as drowsiness, of medications such as strong painkillers and antidepressants used to treat pain. It can also increase the risk of stomach and digestive problems and bleeding, with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, and steroid tablets, such as prednisolone.

If you're taking the DMARD methotrexate, recent research suggests that it’s safe to drink within the recommended limits for adults in the UK – 14 units a week. Both alcohol and methotrexate can affect the liver, so it’s important that if you do drink alcohol, you drink in moderation.

Stay warm

Tackle cold-weather stiffness by layering up with warm clothing and using heat-based remedies. Heated neck wraps, hot water bottles and warm baths can help with stiff joints. If you’re spending time outdoors, make sure to wrap up well to protect your joints from the winter chill.

Apply heat

Applying heat can be a fantastic way to soothe stiff or aching joints. So, if you struggle with arthritis stiffness in cold weather, you could try:

• having a hot shower
• applying a hot water bottle
• soaking sore hands in a sink full of warm water.

Keep your home as warm as possible and use draft excluders to stop cold air from creeping in. You may be entitled to help from the Government with your heating bills if you're on certain benefits such as the Warm Home Discount or Cold Weather Payment if the weather gets very cold. Find out more about financial help and benefits if you are living with arthritis. 

Christmas shopping

At Christmas, there's usually a lot more shopping to do, whether that's food shopping or shopping for gifts for friends and family. Try practical short-cuts. Ask yourself: are there any ways you can make things easier? 

For example, some people with arthritis told us that they: 

• Give gift vouchers instead of gifts. You can buy gift vouchers online with many leading retailers.
• Use gift bags instead of wrapping presents.
• Use pre-prepared or pre-chopped food.  
• Use paper plates and foil trays for cooking and serving food, so there's no need to wash the dishes.
• Buy ready-made meals and desserts, rather than making them from scratch.

Ask for help

Most of all, remember that you don’t have to do everything by yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask loved ones or friends for support. And if someone offers a helping hand, let them. 

Not only will it lessen the workload, but it’ll also give you more time and space to manage your condition, rest when you can and find time to enjoy the festivities.  

If you need to talk, remember we’re here for you too. You can always call our Helpline, chat with our Online Community, or join one of our amazing support groups in your area. 

Please note the Arthritis UK helpline will close at 1pm on Wednesday 24th December and re-open on Friday 2nd January 2026 at 9am.