Christmas Pick N Mix!

Someone is choosing a sweet a range of boxes full of different coloured sweets. — Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash

It’s your Christmas too

Christmas, for those of us who celebrate it, or something like it, is for everyone. We are all equally worthy of a seat at the table, a room in the house, to feel central to the celebrations, as important as everyone else, whether we are a parent or not.

This is a cognitive shift that can be hard for others to understand.

So, as I wrote in a previous blog post, we might need to curate our own Christmas or even cancel Christmas as we know it.

This might need a cognitive shift of our own, to see that Christmas is just another day, and one that we can make ourselves, that we can give ourselves permission to do differently.

Pick N Mix

I am a great fan of Pick N Mix, would buy some every Saturday in Woolworths with my pocket money, and so, in loving reminiscence of my childhood self, here is my Christmas Pick N Mix for you. Choose one, choose many, choose none at all of course, but I hope there is something here that might speak to you, might help you to have the Christmas you want.

DO VOLUNTEERING

This is my favourite thing to do at Christmas and has been for many years. Nowadays, I volunteer with a local organisation and this can often be the best place to start. There are well known charities that do need Christmas volunteers such as Crisis at Christmas and other places to look at could include:

Helping to prepare a Christmas dinner for a local homeless or elderly support charity or group.

Helping at a Church service or other religious service

Taking calls for a charity helpline such as The Samaritans or LGBT Switchboard.

Organise or assist with a charity collection to raise money for a local organisation that you care about (hospices, animal sanctuaries, foodbanks, low cost counselling organisations…) and spend Christmas Day sorting, cleaning and mending what you collect.

See if the nearest foodbank, nightshelter or organisation that supports older people to you needs help over the Christmas period

Do a sponsored event on Christmas Day.

Check out these links for other opportunities:

https://www.bigissue.com/news/activism/volunteering-on-christmas-day-how-you-can-get-involved/

https://www.neighbourly.com/projects can help you find charities and volunteer opportunities near you

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Go for a walk – for example, London Walks offers guided walks on Christmas Day or research and do one yourself, either solo or with friends or family, including other childless people. Outdoor sculpture trails can also be interesting and take you to beautiful places.

Go for a swim – but use an app like Magic Seaweed to check local conditions first.

Cook something you would like to cook, whether traditionally Christmassy or not or DON’T cook, buy your favourite things and just heat them up. Eat cereal and toast all day if that’s what you like, or cake, or canapes. It’s just one day!

Go on a retreat, whether spiritual, religious or secular or make your own home retreat with books, videos and journalling.

Visit a Stone Circle – Avebury is my favourite but there are stone circles and other ancient monuments across the UK

Choose something you would love to do and make it happen – a home spa, a movie marathon, a baking bonanza, learn to cook something new, try your hand at crafting or drawing, or have an immersive book day with audio books, eBooks or print and paper books.

Borrow a dog or spend time with your own beloved pets

DO NOTHING

Make this a day where you ‘forget’ it is Christmas and do whatever you feel like doing, tuning in moment to moment to the demands and needs of your own heart. This may be for company or for aloneness, for being busy, or still, for going out or keeping warm and cosy indoors, for work or for play. Forget, as much as you can, about all that is expected of us and be with yourself or those you choose to be with and enjoy the turn and change of the year and plan, if you would like to, for the year ahead.

DO A DECONSTRUCT AND REPLACE

What has Christmas always consisted of for you? Write down each element such as a walk, a big dinner, watching a Christmas film, going to or watching a church service or anything else that you regularly do at Christmas. For each element, ask yourself, does that matter, do I want to do this?

If the answer is yes, then keep it in your schedule, and if it is no, what could you replace it with?

For example, driving to a beauty spot where you always go could be replaced with a walk where you start at your own front door and set out without a plan. Urban, rural or in between you are bound to find something new, interesting or beautiful.

Watching a Christmas film could be replaced with watching a filmed version of a live event such as a National Theatre production or a concert. Some musicals, such as a live filmed version of Rent, are on YouTube.