A Sense of Belonging at Christmas | Jane Bridgman-Smith
How being community-minded can give someone a sense of belonging at Christmas.
As part of Kids Inspire's Community Engagement team, I often draw parallels between Christmas and the spirit of community. Celebrating traditions with family and friends is vital for many people during December. Feeling connected, and part of a community really makes a difference. When you don’t feel you have that it can feel really lonely.
What is ‘Community’?
Community is a group of people with shared interests, values, or goals who come together, fostering a sense of connection.
Kids Inspire's Christmas Appeal: A Community in Action
One example of a community of people coming together is our Christmas Appeal. Every year our appeal brings together community volunteers, with shared values of supporting children and young people across Essex. As our volunteers wrap presents (in organised chaos!), we see laughter, sharing of life stories and tucking into festive treats. The shared purpose of ‘helping others’ bonds each group, connecting them and has a positive impact on their own mental health.
Personal Reflection: Finding Belonging
“I am passionate about community, but there was a time when I really felt lonely and with no sense of belonging at Christmas. In fact, I feared Christmas because the loneliness would creep up and this would really impact on my mental health. Christmas Day can be a tough time for so many people.”
Thankfully, my fear of Christmas changed when a friend and her family kindly reached out and invited me to be a part of their own family celebrations. I accepted with a huge smile on my face and a big Christmas pudding full of gratitude that someone had asked me to join their festivities. And since then, I find myself reaching out to my friends who might be on their own this time of year. When we have that connection with others, we feel a sense of belonging that brings comfort and warmth, both to our mind and our body.
With my experience in mind, I thought I would share some ideas and ways to offer support to someone you know if they are on their own during December.
5 Ways To Show Community Kindness this Christmas
If you know someone who is going to be alone this Christmas, reach out and invite them to join you for dinner and for company
If you can, and have time, volunteer at a local charity supporting those who are homeless to help bring cheer to those not so fortunate
Contact local community groups and offer to cook and deliver an extra Christmas Dinner plate for someone who will be alone at Christmas
Aim to keep in contact with the person you meet through your kindness beyond Christmas. Otherwise look into Social Prescribing, to see what support is available if you need help following this through
Telephone someone you know who can’t get to you due to distance, but who you know will be alone during Christmas. Spend quality time chatting.
The spirit of Christmas lies not just in festive decorations or elaborate gifts, but in the warmth of community and the joy of belonging. Let's remember the power of a simple act of kindness, reaching out to those who might be alone, and nurturing connections that extend beyond the holidays. Showing kindness is a lovely thing for children or young people around you to witness. The art of “paying kindness forward” is important and it really can make a difference to another person’s life.
Wishing you and all the wonderful community organisations we work with in Essex a merry Christmas. And if I can request a special wish from Santa, it would be help to deliver some special Christmas spirit into our communities as we go into 2024.
If you would like to know more about the Community Engagement Team, and how we support children and young people with their mental health through early intervention work in schools and communities in Essex, please email the team.
Jane Bridgman-Smith – Community Engagement Officer, Kids Inspire
Jane is a Community Engagement Officer at Kids Inspire HQ. She’s writing for the Lens of the Kids Inspire Team as part of the Blogging Team. Here’s more about Jane and why she wrote this blog, in her own words
“Working in the Kids Inspire Community Engagement Team inspired me to write this blog. I soon realised that I have such a passion for community and have often volunteered for community events and I dog walk in my local community, helping out vulnerable community members. I realised that I can only be inspired to write a blog like this if the subject matter is something that I am passionate about. I haven’t always enjoyed writing, I was ok at it in school, but would often find it a bit of a bore, but as I have grown into myself and continue to do so, I recognise the beauty of being able to express how I feel through words in a positive way and this really helps my wellbeing.
“I hope that as you read my blog, that you take something away from it. If I could grant one Christmas thought to you as a takeaway, it would be this: ‘What one small thing do you think you could do for your community in 2024?’. After all, Community isn’t just for Christmas.