Friday Night and Nowhere to Go

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Image by LouisBauer from Pixabay
 An hour ago I returned from a Strength and Conditioning Class. The last Friday evening before Christmas and there were only six of us there. Six people without a Christmas Party to go to; no night-clubbing later and just well deserved dinners to go home to, after an hour spent lifting weights. 

Of course, I'm glad I wasn't alone in turning up; imagine how lonely and unloved that could have made me feel! It's that time of year, when everyone imagines that everybody except themselves is partying and having fun. Well my class may have been sociable but fun it definitely wasn't.  If I can actually still move in the morning, I shall be relieved. 

A survey commissioned by Thorntons Continental (pass the chocolates, please) has revealed that "a staggering seven in ten Brits will be apart from family and friends on Christmas Day." So much for the perception of everyone enjoying a family Christmas together. The research certainly suggests that if you believe you are alone in the predicament of a solitary Christmas, you definitely are not. With so many people now living and working far away from loved ones, more people than ever are apart on Christmas Day. 
 
Obviously, I shall not be participating in a class on 25th December although the gym is open until midday. I think I managed to work off the calories necessary for at least a generous helping of roast potatoes tonight and if I clean the house tomorrow I may even earn myself a couple of pigs in blankets. 

We are fortunate in having the youngest join us for a week and other family members on Boxing Day. There will, however, still be an empty space around the dining table where the eldest would sit; New Zealand is not convenient for popping home at Christmas and a video call via WhatsApp will have to fill the gap felt on both sides of the world. So if you are alone this Christmas remember you are actually in a majority and if you do have family around you, spare a thought for those who don't. 


Comments

Bob Lowry said…
Thinking of those who don't have someone else to share the day with is an important and heart-warming sentiment, Caree. Those of us surrounded by at least some family find it easy to assume that is everyone's situation. Clearly, it is not.

Have a tremendous time with your youngest and other family members as they join you. Of course, many Americans celebrate Boxing Day, too. The day after Christmas is the day we start boxing up the decorations for another year! Your version sounds like more fun.
21 December 2019 at 04:10
Caree Risover said…
Merry Christmas to you and yours Bob. Although I love your definition for Boxing Day, I confess that I find dismantling the tree and storing away the decorations to be the hard part and invariably leave that until the Twelfth Night deadline.
21 December 2019 at 23:06
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