Merry Christmas everyone, only 3 days to go!
Christmas is a special time that can bring everyone together as a community. My Independent Family Review, commissioned by government, aimed to understand what family means to people, how services support families, and what can be done to improve services. The support of friends, family and neighbours was a strong thread throughout the Review, as many parents told the CCo about the supportive networks within their community.
My office has put together a list of ideas for how to get involved in your local community this Christmas period:
- Visiting older relatives and neighbours – Christmas can be a lonely time for older generations who might struggle to get out of the house, particularly at this time of year. Visiting older relatives and neighbours to have a chat, sit with a cup of tea or you might even be able to help with some household tasks such as shopping which could make a huge difference to them. You could also volunteer some time to a charity such as Re-engage who work across the UK to bring older and younger people together to tackle loneliness in older people.
- Calls, virtual chats and quizzes – Phone or video calling can be a great and convenient way to keep in touch with family members and friends at Christmas, especially if they live far away! You could even host a Christmas quiz over video call or check out this quiz by CBBC to test your knowledge on all things Christmas!
- Learn about Christmas traditions and celebrations around the world – Families across the world have lots of different ways of celebrating Christmas, from St Nicholas Day in the Netherlands, to St Lucia Day in Sweden, Newsround explain which days and traditions are celebrated where.
