Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Thought will really count this Xmas...
TURNS out that it really is the hope that kills you.
At this point in a year of broken promises, tragedy, and moonshots, it’s now time to get real. To take on board a sad, difficult truth.
We need to accept the inevitable, even though it’s not what anyone wants. Our country needs US... to sacrifice our Christmas.
The sooner we acknowledge this, absorb it, prepare for it, the less brutal it will feel on the day. Denial is a false friend.
Despite Chris Whitty ’s optimistic message yesterday, there is no way there won’t be restrictions in place on December 25. Coronavirus doesn’t take Christmas off, just like it didn’t, and won’t, for any of the Je w i s h , Mu s l i m o r Hindu celebrations this year.
A day release from rules, a free-for-all on get-togethers, would be dangerous and i r re - sponsible.
It would take us right back to square one, and mean the enormous sacrifices made so far – and for the next “month” starting tomorrow – were for nothing.
Bending or breaking the rules, though tempting, only hurts ourselves in the long run. So this is going to be the strangest, maybe worst, Christmas ever.
But actually, there are some silver linings which might get us through if we cling on to them hard enough – and some lessons we can take away, too.
For a start, this year it really will be the thought that counts – we’re going to have to find new, imaginative ways to make the people we can’t be in a room with know they are loved, treasured and missed.
We will appreciate whatever we are allowed to do so much, rather than taking things for granted, as most of us are probably guilty of doing usually.
Every little moment of joy will be unbelievably precious.
Because let’s be honest here – the only places a perfect family Christmas exists are adverts and movies.
As Decem December rolls around, you’re far m more likely to hear p e opl o p l e mo moa a n i n g , w o r r y i n g , stressing and arguing than waxing lyrical about enjoying the magical time ahead. There’s cooking to do, crowds to fight through, food to buy, gifts to source, family rows to navigate, too much money to be spent, people to be squeezed around tables too small and bedrooms not numerous enough.
On some level we all know we’ve lost sight of what’s important about Christmas, but we’ve been too busy running ourselves ragged getting g g ready y for the big day to o care, or do anything about it. Now we have no choice. .
The food, tree, gifts and crackers rackers are nice, but whadda hadda ya know?
N o t h i n g ma tt e r s apart from being with your people. eople.
Th ere wi wil l l b e no getting g away from that this year. ar. It’ll hit us in the chops, reiterated by each empty seat at the table.
Whatever atever happens in the n e x t 1 2 mo n t h s - and the rest t of our lives, when coronavirus avirus is hopefully a traumatic, di stant nt memor y – we must not forget this.
Christmas ristmas i sn’t ab about out a love of presents, it’s about out the pre sence n c e of love.
We’ll have to find new ways to make our people know they are loved