Christmas is supposed to be a festive season, but the reality is it can be a difficult, horrible, traumatic time of the year as well. For many reasons.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
People often get stressed by the increased pressures this time of year can bring.
You only need to drive around a shopping centre car park to witness that the time of “peace and goodwill” is often anything but. “Joy” and “cheer” is replaced by the sound of the angry beeping of the car horn and a few well chosen expletives.
Yet, thankfully, there is the light among the shade, especially when we go out of our way to find it.
There are a couple of examples of opportunities to generate some genuine Christmas cheer featured on the Central Western Daily’s website right now.
Saturday’s Carols by Candlelight provided its annual song-filled spectacle in the city’s civic precinct.
The colourful and festive outfits of those in attendance mirrored the event’s cheery mood, which was a credit to both Orange City Council’s organisation and the talents of the evening’s various performers and entertainers.
Obviously the carols ship has sailed for this year, but on a more timely and sombre note, organisers of the Orange Community Christmas Lunch are calling for volunteers and donations to help feed the needy at the Orange Function Centre on Christmas Day.
For those who haven’t heard of this event, let alone seen it, it is a truly uplifting example of the season’s spirit, an opportunity to give to your fellow man and, in doing so, give to yourself as well.
In the sage words of returning volunteer Shirley Webb: “It takes me out of my daily life and it gives me the opportunity to connect with other people as I help them. In the process of helping others I am lifted to another level of peace and joy in my own life”.
Even if you are unable to give of your time on Christmas Day, we could all do a lot worse than letting those words be a lesson for how we carry ourselves this Christmas, in acts grand and small.
Hold a door open for someone. Offer a smile not a scowl. Help someone in need if you see them struggling. Remember losing the car space in the shopping centre car park really isn’t the end of the world.
If we all took a few seconds to do something to earn a smile, it would help put the spirit into the festive season.
