Celebrate Christmas YOUR way
LAST week’s letter from a lady who is already dreading Christmas (not because she is alone, but because she is somehow always disappointed) struck an unexpected chord.
More than one reader made the suggestion that it makes you actually feel good if you donate to charity at Christmas.
A big ‘Yes’ to that thought. In the past I’ve sent virtual gifts through the charity Send A Cow (sendacow.org), which means like-minded friends know I’m thinking of them but want my money to be useful to those in real need — £33 buys a goat!
Pam wrote to say she and her husband gave up sending cards and giving presents and had their favourite lasagne last Christmas Day. That wouldn’t please me, because I like sending cards, giving presents and eating the traditional roast.
But good for Pam for celebrating ‘our chosen way to enjoy Christmas. We even went out for a bike ride in the afternoon last year. We are both a young 70 now and after years of trying to keep everyone else happy, we are now keeping ourselves happy’.
It touched me deeply that more than one reader was thoughtful enough to mention my father’s death.
Here, for example, is Sandra: ‘My heart goes out to you as you face your first Christmas without your beloved father, but I know that you will draw your family around you, and remember him with love . . .
‘And with all the terrible events at the moment, it is going to be a hard time for everyone without their loved ones. I so love Christmas, with all the traditions, especially special family ones handed down over the years, but I don’t care if all we can get is cheese on toast for Christmas lunch, the main thing is to have my loved ones with me!’
Of course, not everyone has dear friends/family to share the day with, but Sandra’s loving nature shines from those words. And as soon as I recover from this horrible cold, I’m starting on my Christmas lists.
Bel answers readers’ questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Scottish Daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6DB, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. Names are changed to protect identities. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.