Happy Christmas

A short one from me this week to wish you a very happy festive season whatever it is that you choose to celebrate this time of year.

For me it's a religious festival and I really enjoy the build up to Christmas during this season of Advent. I think there will be a lot of very excited children at church on Sunday morning, Christmas Eve!

I also love to take time to stop and acknowledge the winter solstice. It’s that knowledge that we’ve done it. We’ve reached the longest night of the year and the days are very, very slowly going to get longer. The light is on its way back. Or as it was so beautifully put in a Christmas episode of Doctor Who a few years ago, “We’re halfway out of the dark.”

Only two years ago though, I was facing a chemo Christmas. Mum and I were shielding as I had no immune system. There were no hugs, no family time and the knowledge that on 30th December I’d be back in the chemo chair facing it all again. We decorated for Christmas to keep our spirits up. We still exchanged presents and had lots of doorstep drop offs and pickups of gifts. And there were lots and lots of video calls and yes, tears. We kept telling each other and everyone else, that it would all be over by Easter. It wasn’t quite. I ended up having radiotherapy on Good Friday and Easter Monday. But it kept our spirits up focusing on the potential of the future rather than the reality of the present.

I work with so many people who’ve been dealt unexpected and unwanted curve balls or life plot twists that I feel it’s important to acknowledge that some of you may not be looking forward to Christmas. There is an enormous amount of pressure to be happy because it’s Christmas. But it is at the end of it just another Monday, another week. Take the pressure off yourself. Allow yourself to be you and do what you need to do to reach 2024 with a little bit of hope in your heart.

Sending you all love, peace and joy.