BROADCASTS.com

As Christmas Day fast approaches I imagine most of us, in the chronic illness community, are musing about what we want to realistically achieve over the holiday period.\n\nFor those of us with chronic disease it can be an incredibly overwhelming time. Just trying to be happy for others, when your body is screaming at you, is enough to make you want to run and hide.Even for those of us who don\u2019t suffer mental illness, the lead up to Christmas can be a melancholy time. It\u2019s important to acknowledge all those feelings. They are real, important and very normal for the chronic illness sufferer.\n\nIf you are feeling a little melancholy\u2026\u2026.you are not alone.\n\nI will have a lovely Christmas but it will not necessarily be a season of constant joy. It will have moments of delight, moments of extreme fatigue, moments of excruciating pain and then moments of relaxation and rest.\n\nThis is the reality for those of us with chronic illness and pain.There was no big family gathering on the first Christmas. There was no turkey dinner, no champagne flowing.\n\nThere was love and joy, wonder, awe, no doubt a little fear and much uncertainty of what lay ahead for Mary and Joseph and their new born son.\n\nChristmas is, or should be, a celebration within our hearts. We are celebrating the gift of a Saviour. The gift of redemption, forgiveness, new life.\n\nA True Christmas Can Never Be Cancelled But It Can Be DifferentAs Christmas Day fast approaches I imagine most of us, in the chronic illness community, are musing about what we want to realistically achieve over the holiday period. For those of us with chronic disease it can be an incredibly overwhelming time. Just trying to be happy for others, when your body is screaming at you, is enough to make you want toEven for those of us who don\u2019t suffer mental illness, the lead up to Christmas can be a melancholy time. It\u2019s important to acknowledge all those feelings. They are real, important and very normal for the chronic illness sufferer. If you are feeling a little melancholy\u2026\u2026.you are not alone. I will have a lovely Christmas but it will not necessarily be a season of constant joy. It will have moments of delight, moments of extreme fatigue, moments of excruciating pain and then moments of relaxation and rest. This is the reality for those of us with chronic illness and pain. run and hide. There was no big family gathering on the first Christmas. There was no turkey dinner, no champagne flowing. There was love and joy, wonder, awe, no doubt a little fear and much uncertainty of what lay ahead for Mary and Joseph and their new born son. Christmas is, or should be, a celebration within our hearts. We are celebrating the gift of a Saviour. The gift of redemption, forgiveness, new life. A True Christmas Can Never Be Cancelled But It Can Be Different