That's presuming you have someone to say it to...
Christmas is my favourite time of year! I love it. The build up. All the shops looking all christmas like 4months in advance, and scaring the hell out of you because you had no idea christmas was that near! The shopping, the wrapping of presents, kids getting excited, and when they're naughty, warning them Santa won't pay them a visit. Then the actual day, where the whole family has a great time enjoing the xmas spirit. Till of course the inevitable happens, you get tired of each other. You argue. Most xmas days I spend the afternoon hiding in my bedroom, sick of all the family whinging and moaning.
At christmas they usually have xmas specials of our favourite soaps. You know the usual, birth, death, marriage. Without fail every year these soap cover these stories, but still we sit and watch them. In recent years I've noticed there's a hotline that runs along the bottom of the screen, for people that have no one over the festive season. No one to hide from, no one to argue with, no one to laugh with. It's just them and Coronation Street. How incredibley sad. To be lonely at christmas. To be lonely at any time must be pretty bad, but at christmas it must be even worse. A season that is about family, that is about celebration of life, and there's someone, somewhere sat all alone, how ungrateful does that make me feel? Some people have no Mum or Dad, no Brothers or Sisters. No extended family. No friends. It's just them in the world. i don't know how that must feel. I'm forever surrounded by family. I know I moan about it, but the thought of having no one, that sucks. I quite like my own company. Not to the extent that I'm a loner, but I like to have me time. I just wouldn't want it all the time.
Most of the people that these hotlines are aimed at are older people. They make up the majority, for the simple reason they out live their family, their children may have left home. They may not be as mobile as they once were, so they are confined, making it difficult to be social. It scares me to think that could be me one day, watching the world go on without me. Thinking no one cares about me. No one would notice if I was gone. How sad.
When I was at college and I worked at the shop. There was this old lady that used to come in, at the same time each evening. Each evening she would have some complaint or other to make. At first I thought she was just some whingey old lady and I didn't have much time for her, in fact I did my best to avoid her. The times she did catch me, she kept me talking for ages, there was no escape! What I grew to realise was, this lady didn't really have any real complaints, it was just about the social interaction, and she was actually lovely to talk to. So when these old women talk to me at bus stops, to tell me about the weather, or about their son who they are so proud of, but he doesn't have that much time for them anymore. I'll stop and listen, even take interest in what they are saying. In hope that when I'm that age, some young whipper snapper, will give me the same respect.
There's another option, Old Peoples Homes. It will help those without family socialise and help them with mobility needs etc. Except I was watching the news last night and it showed video tape of elderly people in a home, been abused by their 'care workers' I use the term 'care' loosely. It was truely sickening to watch. Some helpless elderly lady being stripped of her dignity, treated like a piece of meat. These 'Care workers' thought it was funny. Lets hope they are more fortunate in years to come, when it comes to the people who have to care for them. It's just so sad, I'd like to offer answers, what would it take to make this world a better place? I think it starts with making ourselves better people.