A Christmas message from Kirsty Bell at My Happy Journal

Hello and welcome!

Come away in. It's so nice to see you. Have a seat, perhaps over there, yes there, the cosy comfy chair with the extra plump cushions and Christmas blanket. The chair beside the fire, the chair saved just for you.

Can I offer you a hot drink? We have yummy hot chocolate with lashings of cream and mini marshmallows, delicious tea, or maybe a glass of fizz instead?

You deserve a little break, a chance to put your feet up. Give yourself five minutes to think about what the ideal Christmas means to you this year. Today, I invite you to take a moment and daydream a little about what Christmas 2020 could be for you.

Is it finding a wonderful and thoughtful gift? The prefect meal to share with those you
cherish? Is it, perhaps, giving to a charity you admire? Simply hugging the people closest to you just that little bit tighter this year? Or maybe taking a moment to celebrate those who unfortunately cannot be with you this Christmas? It may even be a little bit of everything and more.

After the most topsy-turvey year and the uncertainty surrounding Christmas, we will all probably have to go with the flow more than usual. This may be the best Christmas ever if we choose to look at not what we are missing, but what we can create.

Some of the more usual Christmas traditions may need to be reinvented slightly; people are already sending more cards than usual and are having long phone calls with loved ones.

There seems to be a gentleness and an appreciation of what Christmas could be this year. There are opportunities to rethink what it means to us and what we chose to focus on. There is magic all around us, especially at this time of year.

What if ... this year we saw Christmas as if anew? What if we looked at Christmas as if we were seeing the magic as seen by the children? What if we made things, drew things, bought handmade and unique? What if was about the daily joys and time spent together without the pressures that Christmas sometime brings?