I think we’re all in agreement that Christmas is going to be very different this year.
This can be tough on a lot of families especially if you’re like us, in that you haven’t seen your family for a while and want to make it a time to celebrate but with the economy looking the way it is, with threats of a recession and ‘twindemic’ as covid and flu cases are expected to increase with additional strain on the NHS, we’re making sure that we don’t have frivolous Christmas but instead look back to the basics of what we enjoyed most as children – without the pile of presents under the tree.
As children we grew up with having oranges in our Christmas stocking and I always wondered why anyone would choose to spoil the season by making us eat fruit and sprouts (which I hate) for dinner but then remembered the stories my grandmother would tell us of how eating a fresh orange was a real treat and how she would savour every piece. Then I realised that maybe we have been spoilt over the years and have missed out what Christmas was all about, so as I’ve got older it’s become less about the presents and more about spending time with friends and family in a way that everyone enjoys.
So instead of giving presents this year, I’m planning on bringing back Christmas stockings which will be the presents, and inside there will be a fresh orange for everyone to enjoy and no doubt stories shared of how much of a treat it is.
