Home is where the heart should be
They might sometimes drive us crazy, but spending time with the family can be one of the highlights of the festive season, says Natalia Pistorius
Christmas is a nationally adored time of festive fun and being thankful for what we have, including our families.
For many of us, this might be the only chance when we can spend quality time with our loved ones, especially if our year has been quite busy, or if we live far away. Christmas is the perfect time for creating new memories with the people we might not see that often or don’t spend lots of time with - even if it is those relatives that won’t stop telling you those terrible jokes that only they laugh at, or your Aunt telling you how much you have grown since she last saw you. We can love these small moments or simply tolerate them, but cherishing the happiness behind them is essential for us all.
Spending time with our families - no matter who they are - can always be trying and difficult for even the most calm of us at certain times. It is far too often that we opt to use the excuse of ‘I have other things to do right now’ when it’s time for some family gathering. But as the saying goes ‘You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family’. Therefore, no matter how much composure we may occasionally have to summon from the very depths of our patience, it is vital for us to recognise the importance of our family no matter the circumstance.
It’s valid for some of us to feel an impending sense of dread or anxiety when it comes to Christmas, where everybody will be there and everyone inevitably will want a chance to catch up with you. Whether it's over unwanted questions about school, odd queries, terrible jokes that aren't even funny or embarrassing photos from your childhood, we’ve all got that one big topic we fervently hope and pray our families won’t bring up over the dinner table.
But of course, we do love them despite these minor annoyances, since they are our family and ultimately, all they want to do is make us happy by making this moment of seeing them or spending time with them a warm, memorable one. It's like a gift when it comes to the holiday season if you interact with your family, because you're putting their needs such as chatting before yours - rather than disengaging from the conversation because you want to go elsewhere. Giving the precious gift of time and attention to our loved ones might not make our Christmas a miserable one at all.
This Christmas, we should take great care in seeing the joy that being with our family brings, doing fun activities together - even if it's just watching a film or sharing fun stories - and most importantly focus on the positives regarding the holiday itself.
As Counsellor Sophie Thorne (PG Dip MBACP Accred) explains, Christmas can be a difficult time for many of us. By recognising the areas that cause us the most stress and avoiding disastrous, catastrophic thinking, we can set ourselves up for a less emotionally draining Christmas, and instead immerse ourselves completely in the overwhelming amounts of joy it can bring.
Maybe this year of seeing all those distant relatives won't be so bad after all.
Happy Christmas!
Nataliia Pistorius, Year 9
Christmas is a nationally adored time of festive fun and being thankful for what we have, including our families.
For many of us, this might be the only chance when we can spend quality time with our loved ones, especially if our year has been quite busy, or if we live far away. Christmas is the perfect time for creating new memories with the people we might not see that often or don’t spend lots of time with - even if it is those relatives that won’t stop telling you those terrible jokes that only they laugh at, or your Aunt telling you how much you have grown since she last saw you. We can love these small moments or simply tolerate them, but cherishing the happiness behind them is essential for us all.
Spending time with our families - no matter who they are - can always be trying and difficult for even the most calm of us at certain times. It is far too often that we opt to use the excuse of ‘I have other things to do right now’ when it’s time for some family gathering. But as the saying goes ‘You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family’. Therefore, no matter how much composure we may occasionally have to summon from the very depths of our patience, it is vital for us to recognise the importance of our family no matter the circumstance.
It’s valid for some of us to feel an impending sense of dread or anxiety when it comes to Christmas, where everybody will be there and everyone inevitably will want a chance to catch up with you. Whether it's over unwanted questions about school, odd queries, terrible jokes that aren't even funny or embarrassing photos from your childhood, we’ve all got that one big topic we fervently hope and pray our families won’t bring up over the dinner table.
But of course, we do love them despite these minor annoyances, since they are our family and ultimately, all they want to do is make us happy by making this moment of seeing them or spending time with them a warm, memorable one. It's like a gift when it comes to the holiday season if you interact with your family, because you're putting their needs such as chatting before yours - rather than disengaging from the conversation because you want to go elsewhere. Giving the precious gift of time and attention to our loved ones might not make our Christmas a miserable one at all.
This Christmas, we should take great care in seeing the joy that being with our family brings, doing fun activities together - even if it's just watching a film or sharing fun stories - and most importantly focus on the positives regarding the holiday itself.
As Counsellor Sophie Thorne (PG Dip MBACP Accred) explains, Christmas can be a difficult time for many of us. By recognising the areas that cause us the most stress and avoiding disastrous, catastrophic thinking, we can set ourselves up for a less emotionally draining Christmas, and instead immerse ourselves completely in the overwhelming amounts of joy it can bring.
Maybe this year of seeing all those distant relatives won't be so bad after all.
Happy Christmas!
Nataliia Pistorius, Year 9