Christmas 2020 – the year we stayed at home and the majority of the country was in tier 4 lockdown; the Christmas where the trees came down on the 27^thDecember because everyone put them up so early in November in a bid to spread joy amongst the dark Covid months; Christmas 2020 – a one to remember…?

As a general rule, I spend Christmas with my immediate family every year, and as we’re spread out across the Southwest and Wales, we usually meet up in one mutual place so that rather than just Christmas, it’s also a bit of a getaway. Covid obviously had other plans this year and so in anticipating how the remainder of the year was likely to unfold, we decided quite early on at the end of September to not do as we have done over previous years. 

2020 was going to be the year we spent Christmas apart and as the year had already been far from normal, it didn’t feel too disconcerting. Yes, we would absolutely miss seeing each other in person, particularly when we’ve seen each other twice at most over the last 12 months; but when the lockdown for November was initiated which then continued into December at varying degrees across the country, one quote caught my eye: ‘we’re staying apart so that when we gather together again, no-one is missing.’ And reading this reaffirmed that we had made the right decision.

Due to personal circumstances over the years, I have been fortunate to spend every Christmas with my family. I have never had to trade off a Christmas Day for a Boxing Day, or a Christmas Eve for New Year’s Eve – I count myself pretty lucky in that regard. In order to ensure we could still spend the festive season together in future, I was more than happy to forfeit this year; but with that came a whole new experience and a series of ‘firsts.’

The first time I had spent Christmas in the home in which I currently live and the first Christmas where we cooked our first Christmas dinner – I say ‘we’ but I can’t take any credit – the other half did a cracking job at the cooking, with a little virtual help from Jamie Oliver…I was in charge of the drinks. It was also the first Christmas where I had to dress a dining table for Christmas – a process which I enjoyed but I won’t start up my career in interior design just yet, especially after changing the colour scheme more than once…and then once more on Christmas Day! I also managed to get out early for a walk and clock up 10K steps to mitigate some of the potential damage from the proposed Prosecco consumption.

But as we sat down to eat lunch, pull a cracker and cheers with a glass of vino, I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed and get a little glass-eyed…and this was before I learnt about the cost of the Turkey! Although I had been thinking it in the lead up to Christmas, and although I had made donations to my charities of choice, it really hit home how fortunate we were – to have a roof over our heads, to be able to have a meal and to have at least one person to spend the day with. And whilst I wasn’t spending Christmas with my Mum, Dad and brother, they were at their homes and they were safe. This was a lot more than many others this year, and than those who have suffered loss, not just due to Covid.

So whilst it was different, for me Christmas 2020 is a Christmas to remember – a Christmas to remember how fortunate we are; and one where we focus on what we do have, not on what we don’t.

When we knew that Christmas was going to be different this year, I started thinking about Christmas-time when I was younger and, staying true to form this year, wrote the poem below which I then shared with my family on Christmas Day.

When I think of Christmas
 
When I think of Christmas
I think of my Mum and Dad
My brother and I all together
And the Christmas Days we’ve had
 
When I think of Christmas
Back in my mind I take a look
To when Mum used to read ‘The Night Before Christmas’
My favourite Christmas book
 
When I think of Christmas
I remember when my brother
Said he saw the glow from Rudolph’s nose
So I still believed in Santa when I was younger
 
When I think of Christmas
I think of twinkling lights
And baubles that sparkle as the tree lights reflect
On a dark and wintery night
 
When I think of Christmas
I look forward to wrapping presents
With carols playing in the background
And when the scent of cinnamon is prevalent
 
When I think of Christmas
I think of those no longer with us
And what they would make of the world today
And the memories between us
 
This year may be different
There’s distance in our togetherness
But I’m sending love to my family
When I think of Christmas