Written by Jade Attard

The word “Christmastime” often brings to mind a number of generally pleasing images. Brightly lit streets, a child’s eagerness to tear open wrapped presents, drinking that extra glass of mulled wine just because it’s the holidays. While these things are indeed anticipated by plenty of people globally (and for good reason), I think that many tend to lose sight of the fact that, Christmastime means different things for different people.

More often than not, it is the media that contributes to the inaccurate idea that this time of year should be solely restricted for happy thoughts and emotions. Classic movies, social media influencers, children’s books amongst others have all, for years, built up this indirect idea that you must be ready to handle festivities excitedly, and with a smile on your face. The holidays are a time to put aside your everyday stress and worries – it’s not fitting to be anything but cheerful. Indeed, this socially enforced jubilation can be hard to swallow if your situation doesn’t quite fit with the “jolly” holiday celebrations.

What do struggling single parent’s children feel when comparing their hand-knit Christmas sweater to their friends’ brand new iPads? In our contemporary commercialist society, the true meaning of Christmas may vary. Yes, many do take the opportunity to put others first, spend time with loved ones and practice gratitude this time of year. However, it’s hard to deny that the holiday season has not become a money-driven tradition, urging businesses to thrive and people to get lost in the midst of earning gifts. Christmas shouldn’t be just for the rich.

Additionally, the happiest time of the year may feel mostly overwhelming for people that live with a deep sense of suffering from loneliness in their life. Bereaving family members, isolated elders, single people suffocating from social stigmas hinting at their pitiful independence. Christmastime can often welcome damaging dwelling on unsatisfying social situations as instigated by society.

Let us try to free ourselves from any pointless and potentially harmful need to live up to any social expectation that doesn’t come naturally. Let us each determine on our own what it means to celebrate festivities in a way that is in harmony with our personal needs.

cover image: source

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Written by Jade Attard

With graduation season upon us, all the nostalgic feelings are brought up for graduates as they look back at the years that have led them to the end of their educational journey.

It’s not hard to see why many people say that the best time of their life was at University. These are special years, dedicated to making memories, forming life-long friendships and learning how to finish off accumulated assignments in a considerably short amount of time. More importantly, it’s a time of personal growth and self-discovery.

With that said, graduation isn’t just a time to look back – it’s also a time to look forward.

Anticipating the times ahead…

For many, graduation marks the beginning of adulthood in its purest form, where endless responsibilities, important decisions, and reality checks are thrown your way. As problematic as this may seem, it’s what a lot of people go through and, what they all have to deal with.

Being a committed student may feel tiring at times, especially if you’ve been in school your whole life. However, getting to the point of graduation might finally make you realise that, though demanding and challenging, the student life can act as a safety net. It offers a solid routine, a boundary of continuous timeframes to stick to and most of all, a general idea of the near future as it will always be linked to school in some way or another.

The world beyond university awaits!

Going out into the big world and trying to make it on your own is a completely different thing. It can feel terrifying and nerve-wracking to handle all this independence life throws at you and, more than that, deal with it efficiently in a way that feels like you’ve truly made something out of your life.

Nonetheless, there’s no better way to deal with it than to actually leap wholeheartedly into the unknown, take a risk and own your newfound freedom.

As for any student who has yet to graduate; hang in there! Whether you’re years away from graduating or whether you’ve had to wait longer and are going to try and get better results next year, your time will come too. Nothing worth having comes easy.

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