A Christmas Bungle
Summary
Once they had crunched the numbers on how much money Christmas had consumed last year, they decide to avoid it altogether and fly out to the tropics for a much needed holiday, costing roughly half what they would have normally spent. As I regaled the tale, I noticed that my team was listening with cocked heads; but clearly thinking something … I went on to describe how I was irritated with the couple who capitulate on their promise to each other as their daughter suddenly calls them from an airport, unexpectedly returning home from Peru with her new fiancé. A daft and rather nauseating comedic mad dash ensues to provide a decorated house, a party, food, drink and presents with a few hours’ notice. I was left with that saccharine taste of an American Hollywood Christmas, that is playing the right notes to elicit a particularly superficial and romanticised nostalgia. Yet that was not how the story originated; it was yet another opportunity wasted to explore a more thoughtful approach to the festive season, which for many millions causes significant financial pain with many people left feeling even more in touch with their sense of loneliness or disconnection.