The Countdown Begins…

I have a confession to make… this weekend, wooed by discounts and offers, I pulled out my Christmas list and hit “Add To Basket”. I know, I know, I always say savour the seasons, and I can’t bear to look at Christmas until the last sparkler has fizzed out on bonfire night, but this year is going to be different, and rules will be broken and rules will be made.

I think Christmas has become a greedy retail fest we have all been sucked into and made to feel inadequate. The whole show needs to be brought back under control with more thought and less excess. How many of you, if you’re being really honest, are secretly pleased that for the first time in years you have the world’s best excuse for a quiet Christmas and are going to hunker down in your “bubble” with no people pleasing obligations? If you are, and I have to admit to being one of those, you may be able to free your mind for the first Christmas ever, making it your own and deciding how you want to approach it. The feeling of purpose is vitally important to us humans, which is why when we don’t have anyone to look after, or a job to do, we wobble. So you might decide that this year you are going to set aside a little time to give practical help to a charity, or to someone who needs a hand. This action has the knock on effect of balancing your mind and giving this Christmas a new purpose – as opposed to a headache and expanding waistline!

The other thing we can do for ourselves is to manage expectations. This will negate disappointment. We can’t assume there’s going to be some miraculous Covid recovery, in fact your Fairy Godmother Turner (No Panto this year!) will tell you it’s not going to be dramatically different than it is today. So begin by having thoughts and conversations, especially if you live on your own, about how you want Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day to play out. Keep an eye open for the Covid-safe options and events that you can pop along to, especially religious ones. Many of us are lapsed in that department but this might be the first Christmas in many years that we pray – and maybe give thanks.

Love, Anthea X

Article originally from My Weekly!