In December, I took part in the Morning Show on BBC Radio Nottingham, to talk about how difficult Christmas can be for some people……. Maybe there are sad memories of this time of the year; perhaps this is the the first Christmas without a loved one?  Being wished ‘A Merry Christmas’  can feel bitter/sweet or just plain painful. For others, maybe it’s a case of just too much commercialisation and fuss, feeling wound up by being ritually asked ‘All ready for Christmas?’  and thinking that it’s way too OTT for just two days! Bah Humbug!!  Then wondering if there’s something wrong with you when everyone else seems to ‘buy in to all the hype’. Ways to survive: 1. Keep your feet on the ground – it will quickly be over, and if you are not a person of faith, it is just two dates in the month, 25th and 26th, which occur every month! Adjust your expectations and let yourself off the hook; it’s really Ok not to be happy-happy. 2. Be real.   ‘this is what I would like to eat/do/spend/give/receive. 3. Recognise the game and choose not to play, have a prepared response to the standard questions 4. Do something different over those two days, go somewhere you’ve never been before, be with strangers, help out at a charity. 5. Remember you are normal, and many, many people everywhere are feeling like you!