It’s that time of the year when, at least outwardly, everyone seems to be happy, jovial and in the mood to celebrate. It’s Christmas, a time for sharing, a time of giving, a time of staying together, a time of being with loved ones.

There are many who look forward to this time of the year. It’s the season when social gatherings are the order of the day, when families meet under one roof for a three-hour meal, when all-night parties are held, when new outfits are bought, when restaurants are full.

It is a time when the streets are decorated with flickering lights, when Christmas trees and cribs are displayed in homes, when people rush to buy gifts for their children or parents, when many plan to do something different. It is a time when people who have not seen each other for a year – who is not busy with a million things these days? – meet up to spend a few hours together, perhaps a whole day.

It is a time when society seems to impose on everyone to be happy – just because it’s Christmas.

There are however many others who do not enjoy Christmas, who would rather stay away from the lights and the crowds, who would rather sleep and wake up on 2 January, and yet perhaps reluctantly join in just because they are supposed to do so.

People who might have lost a loved one, and especially those who did so this year and will now be spending their first Christmas without a parent, a son, a daughter, a close friend. Christmas will never be the same again for them, and the empty chair on the dinner table will bring tears.

Others might have had terrible news over the last months, and might be looking at this Christmas as the last one they will be spending with someone special.

There are other families who have drifted apart, with brothers and sisters not seeing eye to eye on a wide array of issues, meaning that they will no longer celebrate together. Friends might have gone separate ways; some might have moved abroad while others simply lost contact. And all this in a world that has made communicating with each other so much simpler.

There will be others who, for some reason, will not be spending Christmas with the person or people they would like to be with. They might not even see them, and will only make contact via an sms or email, at most a phone call, when they would really cherish at least one hug. For these people, something will be missing even though they will probably be making merry with the people surrounding them.

And then there are those who have their own particular troubles, who are passing through a difficult period in their personal life, or who simply do not like this time of the year.

This year we have another factor that will be playing its part, and this is the financial difficulties people are experiencing, or expect to experience, as a result of the turbulent times that the financial world is going through. In Malta, we are still in the dark as to how much families will have to start paying for their water and electricity bills, and this will no doubt effect their spending over the Christmas period.

Christmas is a time when we all would like to give something special to the people around us, and giving leads to an interior happiness that is greater than receiving. One form of giving would be a better understanding and respect towards people who are not in the mood to celebrate Christmas in the way we want them to do.