Stepping into Christmas

It is the first of December. Mariah Carey is on the loose and the advent calendars are out. We have some fantastic activities planned throughout the month and look forward to sharing them with you all here on our social media.

Alongside these updates, we would like to hear from you. December can be a month of joy, excitement and fun, but it can equally carry pressure to do things or feel ways that may not come naturally to us all. On a sensory level, Christmas can be completely overwhelming, and the uncertainty of gifts can be a profound source of stress and anxiety. Around this time of year, we are bombarded with adverts, movies and social media posts showing us the ‘perfect’ way to spend Christmas.

Here at Branch Out Together, we want to hear the ways that you like to celebrate (or not), whatever they might be. Some people find wrapped presents stressful, and prefer a gift bag. Some prefer pizza and chips to turkey with all the trimmings. Many people prefer not to partake at all. We would love to hear about your unique traditions, whatever they might be. We hope that by sharing these insights into the different ways we celebrate, we might relieve a tiny bit of that holiday pressure, and help everybody to accept that there is no ‘right way’, other than your way.

How do you celebrate this time of year? Share your thoughts to R.Stabler@Branchouttogether.org