don't let it go to your head

revamped quality street's, silver tinsel, frosted wreaths - and a very, merry christmas to you all!

We made it! Today is the last day of Substackmas🥹 Thank you for sticking by me for the last week (or so). I hope we’ve all had fun(?) I contemplated whether to do a proper sub today or just keep it light, but I think there’s something to be learned from the spirit and sparkle of a day that is often dim and dull for many.

I hope this can be a hug you may need today. Merry Christmas, my loves! ❤️

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While watching a recording of Luther Vandross performing at The Royal Albert Hall, my family and I decided to crack open the tin of Quality Street’s. “What’s happened to the packaging?” my mum exclaimed, which is ironic because she really is the eco queen of the family. She meant no harm, bless her. But we’re used to the sparkle of Christmas, aren’t we? Silver tinsel, glittering gold baubles, velvet crimson ribbons wrapped around frosted-green wreaths — and, of course, shiny sweet wrappers. So, no wonder she felt it was a bit of a shame when something that was tradition, changed (even if it was ever so slightly).

My mum looking at the new Quality Street packaging.

I recognise with Christmas especially, it can feel like going through different cycles of grief, simply when the things we knew become just that — things we knew. We mourn the younger versions of ourselves that had adapted to getting sweets in our stockings, and maybe now we get toothpicks. The slightly older versions of ourselves that received colouring and reading books have now been replaced with gift cards and vouchers. Though we can be grateful for them all, it’s okay for our longing for them to sting a little. Nostalgia is (can be) a beautiful thing when sadness and pain aren’t at the forefront of the feeling.

If you grew up Christian or with an awareness of it in any way, you’ll know that Christmas is a signifiant religious holiday. When younger, it sounds like this beautiful story of a newborn baby boy born from extraordinary circumstances that came into this world to bless us beyond human comprehension — that story still largely remains. Unfortunately, when life kicks in, it can be hard to believe that something so magnificent was destined to be as beautiful as it was intended to be. This isn’t to make you question your faith or lack thereof but it is to recognise that sometimes the ‘magic of Christmas’ will look different. I think it gives us an opportunity to sit with it all and embrace each new form it takes.

How do we find the light regardless? I’m asking myself this question and thinking, ‘Oh brother, you tell me.’ Flipping the script and ‘finding the positivity’ in a bleak situation is easier said than done, and when life has handed you curveball after curveball, it is patronising to be encouraged to do so. I empathise with those who are maybe a bit over trying to do that — but I also want to give you a heads up, that soon enough, you may need to do it again, and I’m right there with you.

If we take the Bible as fiction, let’s look at a story in the book of Luke. A widowed mother was wailing as her only son, dead, was carried through the town. But, it says:

“When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.”

She didn’t yet know that a silver lining lay ahead for her; that the only gift she felt like she had remaining and had seemingly lost would be returned to her, and better than before — all from a heart (one person) that ‘overflowed with compassion’.

Hearts that overflow with compassion in 2025 PLEASE!

In a period riddled with the words ‘festive’, ‘cheer’ (‘enchanting, dazzling, jingly’, said Mum lol) and ‘joy’, those can be the most challenging emotions to feel. But I guess the magic of Christmas is that somehow, some way, there is always a glimmer of silver desperate to be caught by a flash of light in a sudden moment.

As my family and I danced to our Christmas Classics, a playlist adorned with the likes of Luther Vandross (duh), Mariah Carey, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and Dionne Warwick¹ , the (GREAT) song, Don’t Let It Go To Your Head by Jean Care, came on. Hips swayed, and arms waved as she sang:

“Don’t let it go to your head, no no no…”

And without being so flippant, that’s what we must do in times like this. We see and feel the ‘faff’, and we don’t let it go to our heads. Though it is a beautiful day and a beautiful time, it is one day and one moment in time that (hopefully) many of us will get to keep experiencing.

With that said, I’ll leave to your sweets, roasts, presents and families. Maybe Christmas can be even more magical with a switch of heart posture rather than a switch of materialistic tastes.

How blessed am I?²

1. The list went on: Teena Marie, Barbara Streisand, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson etc. All great recommendations — have a listen if you fancy.

2. My LOVE to you all! Praying for plenty and plenty of blessings upon you all for today, tomorrow, and throughout he rest of 2025. This may be my last subby of the year, so if we don’t speak sooner: live, dance, love, enjoy! I’ll catch you on the other side 🫶🏾