The past few years have been chaotic. From Brexit to COVID, the Tory party’s leadership pantomime and the very difficult economic situation where many people can’t afford to heat their homes and are struggling to pay for food and other necessities, the past few years have felt as though we’re being tossed around on a soon to capsize boat. And that’s just the UK side of the story, never mind the worrying situation in Ukraine and other places in the world.
Then of course, we lost Queen Elizabeth this year. For most of us, she was the only monarch we have known and her passing was a major event in our lives. But life moves on and her son, King Charles, has been well prepared for his new role.
Chilling out to some reindeer
Either way, regardless of our individual situation, we could all do with a bit of joy and happiness this Christmas. I can recommend the most wonderful BBC tv programme to help you chill out for about 90 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0001rz0/all-aboard-the-great-reindeer-migration
It follows the 7 day journey of a herd of reindeer north through Norway to the arctic circle, where the reindeer go to bear their young every spring. The scenery and photography is fantastic and the “soundtrack” to the programme is mostly the sound of the reindeer moving through the snow and their bells. It’s truly mesmeric and I usually watch it at this time of year or even in the middle of summer, whenever I want to relax and chill out for a while. Even though the migration happens in the spring, it feels truly Christmassy because of the snow and the reindeer. So pour yourself a hot toddy, or get some hot chocolate and some cookies and give yourself a wonderful treat!
I hope that 2023 is a better year for all of us. And in the meantime, I hope you find some joy and happiness this Christmas!
Marie
December, 2022