Don't think there's any such thing as 'the perfect Christmas' - every Christmas is different, people are different, seasons are different, things happen (like the Christmas morning the pigs got into the Misses B's garden' - recounted elsewhere).
However, it's when we have a few days respite from work to show family and friends that we love them, and that even if we take them for granted a bit during the year we don't mean to.
It's a time to reflect on our own good fortune and to share with others who are not so fortunate in one way or another, and it's at time when, at the darkest and most barren period of the year, we can look forward to light and life in the future (whether that has religious symbolism or not).
It is good for humanity to make time to share and reflect on our lives together and it is natural to gather together when the days are short and the nights are long in order to enjoy each other's company, and I'm sure this is why the tradition of a mid-winter 'festival' is so important to those of use living in the northern hemisphere, whatever we call it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gemma - please don't feel you need to put on the perfect Christmas. Easier said than done I know. Christmas has a tendency to be a tough time for me too, and no doubt for many others for differing reasons. With my anxiety, I struggle with the socialising aspect. Its the unpredictable nature of Christmas, I much prefer routine as I know where I will be,with whom etc. I really hate crowds so a dull,boring festive period is heaven in my book.
The SAD aspect is very much real in my view. Us humans like to think we are above nature, but a few centuries of modernity cannot change the hard-wired evolution that has come about over tens of thousands of years. We only need to look in the garden to see other life forms either dying off,hibernating or flying south in the case of birds. As products of nature ourselves, why would we be any different? Long nights and short days is going to affect the brain chemistry of some of us more than others. But I think we all feel it to a greater or lesser degree.
Which brings us back to Christmas and why it is celebrated when the year is at its darkest. Our pagan ancestors chose to have a big party in order I believe to compensate for the short days. Christmas has simply hijacked that. Modern life dictates that we can't migrate south or sleep until March, we have to carry on with society's expectations. I empathise though and please feel free to PM
Amazing to find other SAD sufferers, I've felt like an alien half my life because of it. So many people I talk to say 'I get down at this time of year'. I can't get dressed some days! I've even followed a career where the work starts in March and is done by October, else I would have just been useless at keeping going at it.
Feel free to PM me too Fishy, my son, my OH and I all don't really do 'sociable' just isn't in our nature. I know about anxiety too.
Fortunately mum's perfect Christmas was close family and very close friends at home, plenty of home cooking and staying in. Very much like the pagan party. I can't wait . Still dreading January though, planning not much in the garden but plenty of wintry country walks to keep me going until spring.
I'm a January baby too Lyn and RB - I look forward to the hazel catkins and snowdrops - I regard them all as being there just for me (but I suppose I'll have to share them with you now )
My daughter has suffered with SAD, it was part of the ME she endured for most of her teens and twenties - fortunately her health is much improved, she has a job she loves and everything is much better for her now - but her husband and I still keep an eye on her in the winter - she finds that a regular dose of Selenium ACE really helps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I was country born and bred and love the seasons. I love a harsh winter and never stop loving life.
I try to fight it every year. One of the warning signs for me is a change in sleep patterns. When the clocks change I start to go to bed later and get up later. In the worst years I can have totally reversed sleep by January, up all night, sleep all day! Been doing well keeping that in check this year, been sleeping in a bit longer but making sure I don't go to bed too late.
My plan for this January is to get out walking and do some photography. Embrace the month rather than curl up and want to hibernate, which is the way I can get to feel some years. I hope it turns out that way but there is a limit to how much control I have over the condition. This year being out every day in the garden I possibly can seems to be giving me the upper hand though.
Gemma - in my experience with SAD it is important to control your body clock rather than let it control you - so you're on the right track. Daughter says one of the most important things in her life is her alarm clock!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's really interesting Dove. I had no idea the body clock issue was a shared thing with the condition rather than just one of my own experiences of it.
If I'm totally honest my real problem is Christmas rather than the darkness. My primary diagnosis is anxiety and the depression is a reaction to that rather than to lack of light. However, I've found that taking anti-depressants improves the depression side of the equation, enabling me to bounce back more quickly from anxiety setbacks.
The anxiety goes way back to December 1985, I can even remember the day and date - Friday 13th for those who are superstitious. That's when I had my first panic attack, sitting in the back of our work van having my cheese sandwiches. A completely normal Friday morning and then an overwhelming wave of fear from nowhere and for no apparent reason. Of course I'd never heard of anxiety/panic/depression and didn't seek help for something I thought nobody would believe.
Its been with me ever since, on and off but never far away. I know what you mean Gemma by feeling like an alien, hang in there and keep gardening. Its such great therapy isn't it
Posts
Don't think there's any such thing as 'the perfect Christmas' - every Christmas is different, people are different, seasons are different, things happen (like the Christmas morning the pigs got into the Misses B's garden' - recounted elsewhere).
However, it's when we have a few days respite from work to show family and friends that we love them, and that even if we take them for granted a bit during the year we don't mean to.
It's a time to reflect on our own good fortune and to share with others who are not so fortunate in one way or another, and it's at time when, at the darkest and most barren period of the year, we can look forward to light and life in the future (whether that has religious symbolism or not).
It is good for humanity to make time to share and reflect on our lives together and it is natural to gather together when the days are short and the nights are long in order to enjoy each other's company, and I'm sure this is why the tradition of a mid-winter 'festival' is so important to those of use living in the northern hemisphere, whatever we call it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gemma - please don't feel you need to put on the perfect Christmas. Easier said than done I know. Christmas has a tendency to be a tough time for me too, and no doubt for many others for differing reasons. With my anxiety, I struggle with the socialising aspect. Its the unpredictable nature of Christmas, I much prefer routine as I know where I will be,with whom etc. I really hate crowds so a dull,boring festive period is heaven in my book.
The SAD aspect is very much real in my view. Us humans like to think we are above nature, but a few centuries of modernity cannot change the hard-wired evolution that has come about over tens of thousands of years. We only need to look in the garden to see other life forms either dying off,hibernating or flying south in the case of birds. As products of nature ourselves, why would we be any different? Long nights and short days is going to affect the brain chemistry of some of us more than others. But I think we all feel it to a greater or lesser degree.
Which brings us back to Christmas and why it is celebrated when the year is at its darkest. Our pagan ancestors chose to have a big party in order I believe to compensate for the short days. Christmas has simply hijacked that. Modern life dictates that we can't migrate south or sleep until March, we have to carry on with society's expectations. I empathise though and please feel free to PM
Amazing to find other SAD sufferers, I've felt like an alien half my life because of it. So many people I talk to say 'I get down at this time of year'. I can't get dressed some days! I've even followed a career where the work starts in March and is done by October, else I would have just been useless at keeping going at it.
Feel free to PM me too Fishy, my son, my OH and I all don't really do 'sociable' just isn't in our nature. I know about anxiety too.
Fortunately mum's perfect Christmas was close family and very close friends at home, plenty of home cooking and staying in. Very much like the pagan party. I can't wait
. Still dreading January though, planning not much in the garden but plenty of wintry country walks to keep me going until spring. 
I was born in January, I love life whatever the month.
Its what this country does, have seasons. I suppose when you start to get old you are grateful for any months.
I'm a January baby too Lyn and RB - I look forward to the hazel catkins and snowdrops - I regard them all as being there just for me (but I suppose I'll have to share them with you now
)
My daughter has suffered with SAD, it was part of the ME she endured for most of her teens and twenties - fortunately her health is much improved, she has a job she loves and everything is much better for her now - but her husband and I still keep an eye on her in the winter - she finds that a regular dose of Selenium ACE really helps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I was country born and bred and love the seasons. I love a harsh winter and never stop loving life.
I try to fight it every year. One of the warning signs for me is a change in sleep patterns. When the clocks change I start to go to bed later and get up later. In the worst years I can have totally reversed sleep by January, up all night, sleep all day! Been doing well keeping that in check this year, been sleeping in a bit longer but making sure I don't go to bed too late.
My plan for this January is to get out walking and do some photography. Embrace the month rather than curl up and want to hibernate, which is the way I can get to feel some years. I hope it turns out that way but there is a limit to how much control I have over the condition. This year being out every day in the garden I possibly can seems to be giving me the upper hand though.
Gemma - in my experience with SAD it is important to control your body clock rather than let it control you - so you're on the right track. Daughter says one of the most important things in her life is her alarm clock!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's really interesting Dove. I had no idea the body clock issue was a shared thing with the condition rather than just one of my own experiences of it.
Thats the spirit girls, only you and no one else has control over you, not even the winter, embrace the seasons with a strong mind
If I'm totally honest my real problem is Christmas rather than the darkness. My primary diagnosis is anxiety and the depression is a reaction to that rather than to lack of light. However, I've found that taking anti-depressants improves the depression side of the equation, enabling me to bounce back more quickly from anxiety setbacks.
The anxiety goes way back to December 1985, I can even remember the day and date - Friday 13th for those who are superstitious. That's when I had my first panic attack, sitting in the back of our work van having my cheese sandwiches. A completely normal Friday morning and then an overwhelming wave of fear from nowhere and for no apparent reason. Of course I'd never heard of anxiety/panic/depression and didn't seek help for something I thought nobody would believe.
Its been with me ever since, on and off but never far away. I know what you mean Gemma by feeling like an alien, hang in there and keep gardening. Its such great therapy isn't it