This photo was taken at a Christmas tree festival in Fakenham some years ago.

December is a strange month for me. It’s a month of contrasts and contradictions. One half of my brain says it should be a time of excitement as Christmas is coming and I love seeing decorative houses, lights shining and Christmas trees. My dad has always loved Christmas, and I enjoyed taking him around the garden centres full of festive foliage and cheer. It is an activity I shall always cherish. The little Christmas tree he bought us is always on our second-floor window.

But there is also a bleak and dark side of this month for me. Firstly, of course the weather, cold often grey and wet with the dark nights and the shortest days. I am a person who loves the lightness of a spring day. Darkness and cold remind me of the days of depression and a mind full of foggy treacle. And then there is the rush and expectation, the shopping, the spending and the preparation for Christmas and the weight of just getting through it all.

Of course, there is the traditional side of the Christian Christmas- the carol services, Advent wreaths and Christingle service—the Christian message of Christ’s birth and the Star of Bethlehem.  I do believe in the Historical Jesus. There is too much evidence to deny that Christ existed. When I can I try to travel to Walsingham to the Anglian Shrine just to sit in the peace of that place at this time of the year and just forget about all the noise and responsibilities.

 I don’t want to enter into too much discussion about the sensitivity of religion as I respect people of all faiths but while I believe that such a person existed my idea of a God is not of a ‘man’ in the sky looking over us. I believe God is everywhere, in the trees and in the air. God is energy for me that we can align with, and tap into, where we can enter a state of physical presence and where prayers are answered by tapping into the Laws of Attraction and Vibration. These laws are science-based and are ones that Einstein believed in.

I have digressed somewhat so I will come back to this blog post’s main message. This year, especially as November sprung some surprises, early planning of Christmas has been a lifesaver and up to this point a lot more manageable. Christmas budgets were set and saved for since September and at the time of writing only two more presents are left to buy.

There is a downsizing to this part of the year as well.  There is an intentional aspect of care in how people should be thanked and who should be contacted. Rather than a quick message on a Christmas card, long-distance relatives (on my husband’s side) will be phoned. The menu for Christmas Eve and Day has already been decided upon. For several years, my husband and I forwent presents, making sure others had theirs when money was tight, but this year there will be something under the tree chosen by us for each other. Last year, there was nothing and that felt a bit sad and sparse.

I am really enjoying Beth Kempton’s Calm Christmas Podcast, easily found on Spotify, Instagram of Facebook. It comes out every Thursday and I’m looking forward to her Winter Sanctuary writing course which begins on December the 28th.  

So far, I am managing reasonably well. Let’s see how I feel by Boxing Day.

How does December feel for you?

Until next week…..