BY CLAIR WHITTY
Christmas can be a lonely and sad time for those of you who are missing someone you have lost. I now know how you feel, my father passed away on 7th December. Even though he had been failing in health his death was sudden and was a shock. He will be a huge loss to our family. This year my thoughts go to you and to your friends and family as well as my own as we deal with the loss and pain of losing someone we love.
Christmas is a lovely time of the year, don’t get me wrong. But, it is not for everyone. The financial strain is huge and it is easy to say not to put any pressure on yourself, it can be difficult to manage.
Social anxiety too can be a problem for some of you, as you are likely to be exposed to a larger volume of people in the work place or at home. The pressure for you to go out and socialise can be huge. Not everyone enjoys the social gatherings, big or small. It can be difficult to say this to your friends and family.
Christmas can be lonely and difficult for those of you with addiction problems or if you are in recovery. There are very few places that you can go where a drink is not the first offering on the table. We can’t change that today, but I wish for you that you will get through this festive season one day at a time.
Some of you would simply just rather curl up on the sofa with a good movie or book. For you being alone is the celebration, you enjoy the peace and the quietness of it all.
Whatever your plans for Christmas this year, I hope it is a good one for you. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.
