Christmas is a time for ‘celebration’, ‘family gatherings’ and ‘eating’ right? So why is it that every year I feel a little sad? Why when I have the busiest social calendar do I feel a bit lost and alone?

For me, Christmas each year has been such a special family event. It is a great time but I guess can be really difficult too. I’ll be honest and write that I often find myself thinking, “doing a or b was once such a synch!”. However, when I do I make myself identify what I have accomplished, I focus on the ‘cans’.

For example, assembling my Christmas tree;

Pre-stroke. I often did this alone without any help.

Then I stroked.

The first year post-stroke I think I watched my parents’ tree being assembled. Actually, my double vision was so bad that I watched cloned images of the event.

The second year I only decorated the base of my parents’ tree with a lot of help, and glasses.

The third year I decorated my own tree with with my parents’ help.

This year I decorated my own tree and asked my friend to help me and bought my own lights.

Each year since my stroke I’ve been involved in assembling a tree. I think it’s so easy to think how effortless it once was, to wish that I could do it alone. However, who wants to decorate alone? Do we appreciate things as much if they are easy?

So this Christmas, if you find yourself wishing you were in a different situation, try and think of the things you can still do
- whether it’s sharing a meal with your friend or assembling your own tree!