Can you believe people are already putting up Christmas decorations? It’s only November and I have loads to do – I can’t think of Christmas yet!
Although, having said that, I do like to see the effort, people are prepared to put in, to making a great job of lighting up their homes. I don’t tend to go too mad, but I do make an effort.
There is something about Christmas that makes me see the world in a different light at times.
I become nostalgic with the memories of my childhood Christmas’s and it does lift my soul.
As a child, I didn’t really understand how much effort my parents put into making things, especially, nice for us at this time of the year. I certainly didn’t appreciate how much pressure this time of year can put on a family with everything that Christmas brings. We probably took our experience for granted, thought it was normal and imagined that everyone experienced the same thing.
This is not the reality though. In my experience as a foster parent (for over 10 years) I realise that not all people have a happy, healthy attachment to Christmas. It’s even more obvious if you take a look beyond the lights, through the cracks and pretend smiles and laughter. Sometimes there is a sadness that gets more emotional and desperate this time of the year, for some people, and I think it is worthwhile remembering this.
Caring for others is easy to do and doesn’t cost money. It’s being nice, saying hello and just being aware of differences, that can help. I have a friend who is a Samaritan and gives up some of her time to speak to people, every week. She doesn’t get paid for it and some of the conversations break her heart, but I wonder how many lives she has changed or even saved, just by listening.
Being mindful that life is different for everyone, must be something that comes more obvious as I get older. Empathy is something else that seems to be more important to me now. I am getting softer in my approach to things that, I wouldn’t have even noticed, when I was younger.
Looking back on my life, a recommendation to my ‘younger self’ would be to be nicer to people and appreciate any differences, irrelevant of who or what they were.
We are entering a fantastic time of the year where the magic can happen! We can impact everyone we meet in a positive way, just by being nice.
Go on, give it a go – it’s a cyclic affect!
What goes around, comes around! “As you sow, so shall you reap”