Finding The Merry In Christmas

Have you lost your festive spirit? Try creating a Christmas celebration that comes from the heart

- Alan Heeks

Christmas should be a time of joy, but this may be hard to achieve, especially as we get older. You may be dealing with health worries or bereavement. Or delicate issues about whether your adult children spend Christmas with you or elsewhere.

On top of all this, the media keep telling us that a happy Christmas depends entirely on lavish food, drink and expensive presents. In this feature, I want to explore how you can create a Christmas celebration from the heart.

Let’s start with who you spend your Christmas with. If you already have a congenial group of family or friends, count your blessings. If not, treat it as a chance for an adventure. If the prospect of a Christmas alone doesn’t appeal, focus on how you could help other people.

I’ve spent a Christmas Day serving food in a refuge for homeless people. Some of my single friends help provide Christmas lunch for all comers at the Quaker meeting house. It’s well-proven that a great way to improve our own happiness is to do something for others.

THE GIFT OF APPRECIATION

Let’s face it December is not the easiest month to be merry. The days are short, the weather is usually gloomy, you may have tax and other bills looming. So being cheerful may have to be a conscious decision!