Colman Noctor: The value of spending family time together over Christmas

Research suggests that time spent together as a whole family is vital for everyone’s wellbeing

MY big Christmas shopping list has all the usual things on it: turkey, ham, cranberry sauce and After Eights. But I have also learned to add other, less traditional items, like Lemsip, cough syrup and paracetamol. The reason is that I always get sick at Christmas.  My theory is because I am so busy in the run-up to December 25, I don't have time to be sick, but as soon as I stop, it all catches up on me. It’s unlikely I’m the only over-stretched parent who has this pattern. 

While being ill at Christmas is far from a pleasant experience, it forces me to slow down and rest. I am  not very good at relaxing so perhaps this is my body’s way of giving me what I need instead of what I want.  I often remind parents about the need to make room for downtime with their children, but this space can be difficult to find amidst the hectic schedules of many of our lives.  But is the frantic rushing from activity to activity what we should be doing? Perhaps there is an opportunity over Christmas to make time to ‘be with each other’ rather than rushing to places together.