Of course, for some, Christmas is a hard time of year. The pressure to be festive is too much, or the memories are not joyful. It can be lonely and instead of connecting, it’s a time of waiting for it to be over. But this Christmas doesn’t have to be a repeat of previous ones. Even if you find it a lonely and tricky time of year, there’s always time to make a change. This year, why not think about how you can connect this Christmas? Give yourself a goal to create some sort of connection.

Be mindful of your behaviour over this time. Do you disappear and become a recluse? Do you dread the family get-togethers? Do you spend your time at the bar at the office party trying to avoid awkward conversations – or avoid it altogether? Instead of hiding away maybe use this time to kindle new relationships or friendships, share your faith and life – you might find work parties and family get-togethers give the perfect opportunities to do this.

Here are some suggestions for places to starting to connect this Christmas

Connect with friends

With all that goes on around Christmastime – the hustle and bustle of shops, the Christmas markets, ice rinks and festive drinks – there are plenty of opportunities to catch up with friends and reach out to people you may not have spoken to in a while. There’s a plethora of options to meet up surrounding something active rather than just a passive coffee shop catch up if that helps relieve any awkwardness. And, if distance is an issue, there’s always the option of an online catch up too!

We spend all year being busy. Time flies by and the friends that we keep meaning to catch up with keep getting postponed. We all send the ‘let’s catch up this Christmas’ message – Why not take the leap and put a date in the diary and actually plan to see them before the business of Christmas takes over again? Someone might just be waiting to hear from you!

Connect with church

There are plenty of events going on at Christmas time in church. There are often extra services: Christingles, carol singing, choir concerts, wreath decorating, charity and community outreach and more. It’s a busy time of year for churches! If you haven’t been to church before or haven’t been for a while, it’s an easy way in through these events.

If you want to connect with church and be a part of the community there, you’ll find there’s plenty to do, which means the opportunity for lots of fellowship, fun, prayer and laughter to be had through the Christmas schedule, when lots of people attend for special services and events. Why not make it a priority to go to church over the Christmas period, learn more about God and have fellowship? Bring Christmas back to Christ, celebrate with your  (new) church family and you might even be able to connect with new friends too.

Connect with community

Communities really pull together at Christmas. It’s a very natural response to not want anyone to be lonely, hungry, cold or sad over the festive period, and within neighbourhoods are lots of kindly folk who step up to make sure it doesn’t happen. Food banks give out Christmas dinners, charities make sure children have presents and care homes have entertainment and visitors. There are helplines for homeless people, volunteering opportunities, there’s group carolling, local Christmas fetes and markets.

You have a perfect opportunity to be a part of your community, get to know where you live and make a difference in someone’s life and give back to your community. This is a great way to find out the good in where you live and all that goes on in the heart of the area. What could you do?

Connect with God

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus and whatever your year has been like, whatever your walk with God has been, wherever your faith in Christ is at, it’s a prime time to reconnect with our Saviour. There are constant reminders everywhere – carols singing about Christ, nativity scenes, extra church services, nativity plays and Christmas cards with scenes from the Bible story.

Take time to pause, reflect, pray and thank God for the blessings that He has given you over the last year. If it’s been tough, thank God that you are alive and able to thank Him. God wants to hear from you, so what better time than over this period?

Connect with someone new

Sometimes Christmas can be lonely. TV ads and seasonal films are full of couples hanging out on cosy dates, happy-looking people in the midst of big family gatherings, cherished family traditions that seem rich and joyful. You may not be a part of any of these, and that can be painful. But there are plenty of opportunities to meet someone new and start your own.

Along with the ideas above – getting stuck into a community project, seeking refuge and fellowship in the local church, festive socialising with work colleagues and friends – there are even more ways to make new connections that can then be nurtured during the new year. The Christmas period is extremely busy for dating online, especially on Christian Connection when lots of other single Christians set out to make special connections of their own!

However you spend Christmas, whether you find it a happy or a hard time, Christmas is a time for connections and not to be alone. God is with you always, remember that and also remember the true meaning of Christmas.

How will you be trying to connect this Christmas?

Have you enjoyed ‘5 great ways to connect this Christmas’? You might like ‘5 great ways to reclaim your joy at Christmas‘, ‘5 simple ways to make the most of Christmas‘ and ‘Single at Christmas? 4 rewarding things to do‘