The Epiphany of
Clementine Gingersparkles
Our practices and traditions shape us,
and we in turn are shaped by them.
Until we are not.
Foreword
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Christmas
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"It's the most wonderful time of the year."
For those who celebrate Christmas, it can indeed be a wonderful time. Christmas cheer, fairy lights, hot chocolates, presents beneath the tree and walks in the snow combine to make the mundane, magical, and the winter, wonderful. Families unite and Christmas spirit pervades our day to day lives, spreading joy and charity to all.
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However, for some, it is not the chocolate box wonderland it purports to be and many feel stressed, anxious, and worried about debt, loneliness and grief. I wanted to write a book that addressed these elements of Christmas because for some it is simply a time when loss is felt more keenly, guilt exists when love cannot be expressed monetarily and the burden of meeting everybody's expectations can be onerous.
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According to research carried out by a number of mental health charities and agencies, it is evident that many people struggle at Christmas. I felt that I wanted to signpost this to remind people that simply finding the source of comfort and joy at Christmas can be more rewarding than continuing to follow imposed traditions and societal demands. It hurts me that many people begin the new year in debt because they feel compelled to buy more than they can afford. Or that, they are consistently bombarded by images on social media and through advertising that their Christmas should look and feel a particular way, and if it doesn't, that they have somehow failed or fallen short.
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Whether you believe in the Christmas story, that Jesus was born into the world as our Lord and Saviour, or whether you recognise Christmas as simply a winter festival such as was celebrated by the ancient Celts or Roman pagans, it is in fact, just that, a winter festival. A way to celebrate the light we have in the darkness and that around the winter solstice or Saturnalia, we recognise that the harshness of winter can be softened with the sharing of food, light and love with those around us. Perhaps that is all Christmas needs to be?
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Whatever Christmas means to you, make it your own.
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As I have been reminded by my son, "mass" means celebration and in algebra... "X" can mean infinite possibility.
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I wish you profound joy in this celebration of endless possibility.
Happy Xmas!
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Mental Health
Christian, Pagan or Cultural?
Sarah
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