THE STRESSES OF CHRISTMAS BECOME TOO MUCH FOR MANY

Christmas is always a manic time for me, with this year being no exception; kick started by a fund raising talk I gave on the origins of the festive season, visits to craft fairs and carol concerts continue apace, with enough turkey (three times on one night this week!) to see me through until next December.

As I finish wrapping and labelling parcels for posting, pen poised to write the final Christmas cards, I take care to ensure a smattering read just ‘season’s greetings’, to avoid offending the sensibilities of non-believers, and I am mindful of the stress this festive season can cause.

This was highlighted recently by yet another tragic suicide locally, someone who felt their life was no longer worth living, had lost all hope, unable to see a better future ahead.

Sadly, for many people this time of year can bring unwanted memories of happier times; families not yet broken, parents still in good health, living in their own homes, ready to welcome a crowd to sit around a groaning dinner table, everyone gainfully employed, and money in the bank to buy those tempting shop window treats without fear of the dreaded bill arriving come the new year.

Shall it be your parents or mine this year, the kids with me, or him? More likely, split in two, many will endure the mad cross country dash, in wet, foggy, weather, trying their best to keep everyone happy and failing miserably, as we make the necessary adjustments to the new reality.

It’s little wonder that many, those that can afford it, consider opting out by going abroad to be catered for by others, rather than face up to the mental distress of how things used to be, how we wish they still were, perhaps due to the loss of a loved one this year, redundancy, illness…. all of life’s traumas that seem to escalate the longer we live.

Personally, I like to use this time for a bit of reflection, to take stock of the year that has gone before, consider what I might have achieved, what lessons I might have learned and how next year I might do things differently. Some of the most enjoyable Christmases I’ve ever experienced were when I put my own problems behind me, making a conscious effort to brighten up someone else’s Christmas. Donning a silly Santa hat to distribute presents to children in hospital, filling shoeboxes with gifts, sending parcels to our troops abroad, feeding the homeless a proper roast turkey dinner, singing carols, out of key, to raise money for a good cause, inviting round a neighbour who lives alone…. there is the argument of course that there is little point in doing this on just one day of the year, but there can be nothing more rewarding than bringing a smile to someone’s face, if only briefly. As I sign up for my Samaritans duty, I remember that providing a listening ear in a time of need, a kindly word, a shoulder to cry on, costs nothing, just a bit of time and effort. May this festive season enable us all to look for that scrap of joy and hope that Christmas is intended to bring.