Yes, it is that time of year of again when Christmas music fills your ears every where you go, festive garlands fill the aisles of the shop, decorations go up inside and outside the houses and overall, the mood seems generally seems a little lighter.

I am not sure if it is me, but everyone seems to smile just a little more as Christmas approaches, even the grinches out there to me often seem to grinch with a smile.

As 2025 has left of us reeling like a tumbleweed into the Christmas season it is ever more important to see joy in as many places as we can, in fact seek it out, notice it in all the little things around you and take time to embrace every small moment as they happen.

At an event this week I met with a friend who is fostering a little one, at just four months old he smiled his way through two hours of others enjoying their Christmas lunches around him. He took time to gaze at the sparkly lights; he took time to just be and to smile at every single person that came into his path. Bless him, he knows no different, he is starting his life being fostered by the two most wonderful ladies who adore him and give him so much love every minute, he is literally embracing life as he knows nothing else but love and joy.

Wouldn’t it be a great experience to enjoy life in every moment as much as this little boy does however, we know as we grow, we get knocked often unexpectedly, I do believe though whatever your age if somehow you can look for something that can bring joy the knocks seem to bruise a little less.

Yesterday just seeing a babies smile lifted everyone’s day as you couldn’t help but smile along with him, it was in fact contagious. I am sure all who received a smile carried it with them throughout the rest of the day, I certainly did and in fact what it made me do was to embrace all the other moments of joy that came my way throughout the following hours, in fact I am still carrying it forward into today.

I know it is hard at times when things are tough to look for or to embrace joy, but even with the recent effects of the floods in Monmouth the a few smiles to what on the day looked like a hopeless situation.

As Christmas is now upon us allow joy and indeed peace to embrace your life, I certainly wish you a very Happy Christmas filled with both and may the year that follows bring you many more reasons to smile.