Are you also one of those people who is not exactly in love with Christmas time and all that it brings? It can be frustrating feeling forced to be happy when deep down there are things that just feel wrong about the festive season and all it brings. These, for example, are my pet hates about the season, and the little things we all could do that could make it better.

Overindulgence vs charity

Starting from Black Friday through to the Christmas shopping frenzy and all that partying, eating and drinking; all that doing and consuming in general - it really is a time of overindulgence. Even all the obligations are a bit too much - you don’t always fancy every Christmas get-together, usually because there’s too many of them and you’d rather relax!

This time around, step back a little, don’t overdo it. And perhaps buy a little less for yourself, family and friends this year and give a little help to those who couldn’t indulge, even if they wanted to.

Traffic accidents vs sensible responsibility

With all those extra parties and drinks comes an extra dose of the most undesireable kind: drunk driving and the resulting traffic accidents. Traffic accidents are at an all-time high during the month of December every single year.

This year, love yourself and others a little more. Sure, go to that party and have that extra drink - but know before you go and leave your car at home. Plan a ride with a colleague or friend who doesn’t mind holding back on the booze or get a taxi - there are so many cheap options now, it has to be worth it. Try ecabs, green cabs or taxify.

Overuse of energy vs earth love

During Christmas time and the period leading up to it, you could locate Malta easily from space, merely by the flashing lights that take over every road, every roundabout, every street and every household. My wild guess is that the amount of energy consumed on the island is probably 50 times the norm or more (think of all those extra lights for a minimum of 30 days!).

In these days where clean energy is a luxury we still don’t have on the island, love the earth a little by using LED lights wherever possible. And remember, you don’t have to overdo it for it to look pretty!

Loneliness vs company

Lonely people feel lonelier and depression reaches the depths of despair in December; that is a statistical fact. It’s all well and good when you have family and friends to celebrate Christmas with, but what about those who are far away from home? And those who have lost their beloved? And those whose loved ones are sick or die during this period? It just makes a tough situation tougher. Because you feel that you should be happy, and you simply aren’t.

This year, visit a person who has no family or invite them to spend Christmas with yours - it is the best you could probably give anybody who is feeling lonely during this period. And try to make time for those who you don’t normally care about - that is real charity.

Forced broke vs personal attention

In keeping up with the Borges (um, Joneses), many people overspend beyond their capacity. In many social groups, it’s a form of peer pressure that one must offer a gift to every aunt, cousin and nephew as well as the boss and the neighbours. After the December overindulgence and overspend comes the hunger and poverty of January, when you end up trying to make the Christmas lunch left-overs last as long as possible and budget your way to the end of the month.

This year, why not make or buy handmade gifts instead of spending big sums of money on big brands? Handmade gifts from the Malta Artisan Christmas Fair and the Christmas Crafts Market by Thrivers Malta not only support local artisans but provide unique gifts made with love. Kudos to you if you are crafty enough to make your own creations; everybody will love them more than store bought items, no matter how much you’ve spent, I promise. And you could always do a kind turn, of course. There is nothing more precious than time, and the greatest gift you can give anyone is always your time.