Christmas lunch is over, the fire is crackling merrily, the Queen’s speech is on and you think you had better tweet because you haven’t all day. Stop. Put the laptop down. Enjoy Christmas.

We all need a break and that includes from social media. You don’t want to be worrying about what’s happening online when you’re trying to enjoy the festive season with family and friends. So to ensure you and your social media get the most out of the festive season we’ve put together a list of a few things to think about before breaking up for Christmas.

1. Keep people informed

Make sure customers are fully informed about when you’re closed and the fact that you’re hoping to take a break from the digital world as well as the business world. Sharing a couple of posts beforehand explaining that you won’t be checking Facebook & Twitter so much over the holidays is a great way to manage expectations.

Putting your holiday dates up on Facebook and if necessary sharing an emergency number for people to reach you on still shows you care but lets people know you’ll be taking a break too.

2. Share the burden

If everyone in the team checks the accounts just once and you all have a designated day then no-one person is burdened with managing the social media accounts every day over the festive period. You can still scale back, but at least this way you play it safe too and don’t allow an urgent enquiry to go unnoticed.

3. Take advantage of scheduling

Don’t stop activity all together. Schedule a few select posts to go out over the break so the accounts still have some movement on them, but you don’t need much. It’s a great opportunity to wish all your customers and staff a very happy Christmas and to say thank you, but don’t create noise for the sake of it.

4. Focus on the family

For you, your staff and your customers this is a time for family, so any posts you do share should reflect this. Think of local activities, family focused fun and ideas for keeping everyone entertained. By making your content useful then the few posts you do share will be welcome and appreciated during this busy – and sometimes stressful – time.

5. Enjoy Christmas!

As business owners, as marketing managers, it can be hard to switch off completely – but now’s the time! Enjoy a guilt free break and some quality time with your loved ones and you’ll come back refreshed for an even bigger, better and beneficial year next year, with social media at the heart of your digital communications!