For the Love of Christmas, Be Your Own Santa

A reformed Grinch shares some tips

If you don’t read this post because you’re too busy having a lovely time doing whatever you do at this time of year, that’s great.

But I also know it’s a terrible time of year to be dealing with grief or loneliness, and if that’s you, I wanted to say Hi, I understand, and this is a gift.

For all the years that I was very unhappy (aged 8 to 36), Christmas was a time of extra misery. The worst thing about it is that you’re meant to be happy, and other people’s happiness can make you feel envious and bleak, especially those gatherings glimpsed through early evening windows and the Christmas advert families. In the dark years, though I longed for entertainment to fill the void, the TV, in particular, was full of happiness landmines. Constant reminders of all I didn’t have.

There isn’t a worse time to be in pain, and it’s exacerbated by the fact that so many people who might have been good company retreat into their families.

Childhood Christmases, once my parents split up, just intensified an…