How to Connect this Christmas

Oh, Christmas 2020. I have got myself a snowman facemask but have to wait until December 16th to find out what tier I’ll be in and so where I might be allowed to wear it. I bought mulled wine on a 2 for 1 offer before remembering that no one’s allowed to come around to help me drink it. And I’m still not sure how I’ll be spending Christmas Day. In the uncertainty, I’m trying to take comfort in the fact that the first Christmas certainly wasn’t what Mary and Joseph would’ve had planned.

I think there is definitely a gift to be found in the enforced stripped back nature of this Christmas; a time for reflectiveness, opportunities to reach out and make a difference to a nation desperately looking for hope and joy. But for a lot of our Fresh Light community, there can be an extra need to feel part of something right now. For me, living alone and hours away from my family, it made the permission to form a social bubble a little hollow. For you, it may be the disappointment of not being able to travel home at Christmas, missing getting dressed up for the work Christmas party, or not being physically present at the diverse range of seasonal church services.

But over the last ten months (ten!) we’ve discovered that you can indeed build community online, as someone perfectly phrased it ‘physically distanced but socially connected’. I look back on a year where the Friday night zoom social has felt like the Cheers bar (if you’re old enough to remember a place where everyone knows your name’), where I have now have a few quiz champion virtual medals hanging on my virtual mantlepiece, where the world has become smaller in the best way as First Friday meetups have drawn likeminded folk from all across the UK and even worldwide.

In these strangest of circumstances, our community has seen new friendships forged (and strengthened in wild lake swims), multiple engagements, a lockdown wedding and given birth to new event ideas like the Tuesday lunch club.

So in the countdown to Christmas, we’ll be hosting a few more varied chances to get involved and meet people. If you’ve been along to any of the online activities like the regular board games evenings, welcome back. If not you can expect a mix of chat (in both a big group and smaller breakout groups) and some kind of game or activity. Maybe you can get a head start on a new years’ resolution to expand your social circle.

Here are a few of the things we’ve got coming up in December, both virtual and in real life*. Check back regularly or sign up for emails for any additions.

Weds 9th & 16th Greenwich Christmas Market Late [In person]

Sat 12th A very easy Christmas BakeAlong [Virtual]

Sun 13th Southbank Christmas tasting walk [In person]

Sat 19th Gift wrapping session [Virtual]

Sat 19th Christmas Party [Virtual] ??

Sun 20th Alternative Carol Service Watch Party [Virtual]

Hope to see you at something,

Cher

*Please note that numbers will be restricted for real life events in line with tier restrictions so you’ll need to register asap.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash