I’m Not A Grinch… Honest!

I have typed out this first sentence a dozen times. I know what I want to say, but there’s nothing I can begin with that makes it sound sincere. So I’ll type it and you can judge…

I like Christmas, I really do.

…are you buying that? Ok, so the truth is I could probably go without the bloody fuss this year. Or any year really. But I know that this ‘bloody fuss’ I call Christmas is the highlight of my kids year and my wife was putting the tree up in November so I guess I’m strapped in and ready to go.

So much time has been lost. My kids schooling, money lost through lockdowns and my mental and physical health has taken a battering over the past 2 years, I just wanted a period of normal. But Christmas isn’t normal. The look on my kids faces on Christmas morning and the smile on my wife’s face as we sit down for our lunch will brush all of my anxieties away. I know how lucky I am. But just because we are lucky or privileged it doesn’t mean anybody should feel ashamed about feeling anxious sometimes. I’m a PT. I motivate people. But I would rather motivate people through honesty rather than an abs selfy on Insta everyday.

Christmas can be a wierd time for most people. Although I lost my mum to cancer in February a few years ago, I knew that my visit to her at Christmas would be one of the last times that I would see her. I’m not sure she would have remembered any of my visits after that. So this time of year, like for so many, can be an emotional time.

Being a PT for me was never about just shouting at people in a gym. I do that pretty well too! But I also appreciate talking to people and finding out what makes them tick. This talking to people thing is powerful, y’know? That’s what really helps me find their goals and how to achieve reaching them, not how good their squat is. A person trains for one hour of the day, but it’s the other 23 hours that make us.

I’m bracing myself for the kids breaking up, eating and drinking too much and not training enough. I have a strong family and I know that we’ll have fun. Even if it is at my expense as they watch me ice skate for the very first time.

But, and this is the absolute truth…deep down I really do love Christmas. Every bit of it.