Our Sweet

  Eight Christmas Nights ago, I walked into my aunty's house and my grandparents were grieving past themselves. They'd had to go through the worst year of their lives and were left reeling after losing two sons separately, in 2005. It was a horrible time and Christmas Night 2005 reflected the sadness everyone had felt all year. Gradually things began to improve and Christmasses since have been happier, Christmas lights crept back up the trees and eventually returned to my Nana and Granddad's faces.

 Christmas can be a happy time or a sad time and my family has had its share of both. This year is joyful; food aplenty, heating switched on, thoughtful presents exchanged and traditions observed. I enjoy that about Christmas, each year follows the same timetable and it's a comfort to me, something to enjoy and look forward to again as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day and then Christmas Day becomes Boxing Day. 365 days later we'll be doing the same things and reminiscing about the Christmasses gone before... which bring me back to Christmas Day 2005.

 I understand that we can't all pick ourselves back up and not everyone is blessed with my Nana's happy and cheerful disposition but I'm so glad that I have been able to watch her and learn from her as the years have gone by. My nana never says no, her heart is always open and she will try her best at anything once. My Nana lights up rooms and she is quite honestly the spirit of Christmas all year round. This woman doesn't need December to give and she won't stop when January comes round. I can guarantee that in February she'll still be demanding that her guests sit on the comfortable seats when they visit. Of course, she doesn't do these things alone, she has a partner in life and together they give love to each other and their children, sons and daughter in law and grandchildren each and every day.

 I won't go on for too much longer. My point is that we don't have to be taken over by Christmas spirit to do something nice or let go and try something new. I've been lucky, I've had excellent examples of love and compassion for my whole life and the examples haven't gone unnoticed. We don't need to feel festive to feel kind and we don't need to be eating and spending to excess to realise that others are less fortunate. If I were to have one New Years resolution, it would be to learn from the examples I have been shown and use them as a code for living a better and more fulfilling life.

 I wish you all a lovely Christmas week and a very happy New Year.