Christmas. It’s a great time of year. Well, for some.
PICTURE: Chris Benson/Unsplash
Unfortunately the statistics tell a sobering truth. Family violence increases at Christmas as well as separations, depression and those things associated with it.
It seems the extra financial pressure, having everyone stuck in the same house for a week, the heat, and the pressure to have the mythical perfect Christmas does terrible things to us.
Wow. If that is you, embrace a simple Christmas. Turn off the TV and avoid the shops. Don’t go into debt and don’t bow to the pressure to buy your children’s affections. Have a second-hand Christmas and celebrate that.
Remember the first Christmas was all about a poor forgotten family, who were relegated to the shed and had to rely on total strangers for their presents.
Maybe this is where the peace of Christmas still lies.
Paul Clark’s musings can be heard on radio across Australia and at atthetop.org.au.