Ho ho ho and all that!

First, I’d just like to say that I am not Mrs Grinch at Christmas time. I love Christmas. I love the lights, the music and the general festiveness of it all. I enjoy popping into town and seeing all the shops decorated and the Xmas market stalls brimming over with useless … sorry I did slip a bit then! But yes, overall, it is a lovely time of year. There has been so much darkness around in the world that it is a welcome relief to walk around the streets at night and see the effort that some people have gone to, to decorate their houses. The lights shine when the weather too has not been particularly kind to us. Christmas is also the perfect time to catch up with friends, enjoy nice food and forget about counting carbohydrates (well that’s for me at least anyway!)

But I can’t help seeing the other side to Christmas too. There is so much pressure this time of year. Pressure to find the right present, to make sure that we haven’t forgotten to send everyone Xmas cards and it can go on. If you are going away for Christmas, then there is the added pressure of remembering to take everything away that we need and not leave one of mum’s presents in the house under the tree (oops!). What should we wear as well? If we are staying at home, then should we go comfortable and wear some festive kind of leisure wear or do we dress up in our velvet and/or sequins for Xmas lunch? All trivial things in the scale of it but seem to matter a lot at this time of year.

Behind all this there is, however, the side of Xmas that can’t just be forgotten. Many people dread Christmas for different reasons. It can be an extremely lonely time of year for a lot of people. Losing ones you love or going through a serious illness ourselves can make enjoying Christmas almost impossible. It feels like there are jolly people everywhere apart from you and there is nothing worse than someone saying to you, “Cheer up it’s Christmas”. It’s important that we take a minute and think about those people. There is nothing worse than forcing jollity on someone who has just barely got the energy to get through the day.

So, my thoughts overall at this time of year are yes, of course, enjoy it all if you can. Revel in “Last Christmas” and “Step into Christmas” and wear that Xmas jumper with pride. Eat as many mince pies as you want and smile when you get that new model Air fryer as your main Xmas pressie. But through it all take a minute to think of those who are not in a good position this Xmas. Keep an eye on those friends who are struggling and maybe just check on your elderly neighbour. It doesn’t take much but it may mean the world to them.

Peace at Christmastime to you all!