NORMAL LIFE: Do Christmas Differently

You can kind of understand why people get depressed at Christmas time. Rather than being a celebration of the birth of our saviour (don't get me started on that, I'm an Atheist), the 21st Century Christmas actually symbolises a period of stress and unfulfilled expectations. Without Christmas, however, a Finnish winter would be very difficult to get through; the rituals and the days off work help you to recharge your batteries, they really do.

I'm not really religious. How can I even begin to believe when the Old Testament is just full of mind boggling stuff such as the parting of seas to set slaves free and the equipping of the Ark with a male and female of every species of animal known to man. I'm like, get a grip!

For me, Christmas is a time to relax and spend time with my loved one. When I talk of my loved one, I talk about Bree. After all, he is my family now; biology dictates that we will never have children, at least not biological children of our own. Relaxation aside, music means alot to me at this time of year. You've got your traditional carols, but then you've got the popular Mary's Boy Child by Boney M and Do They Know It's Christmas Time? by Band Aid; the original one is still the best. And why is that, given how many people have released a version of Silent Night, I have yet to heard a happy version of it? I mean, wasn't the birth of our saviour a happy event? Then why does every version of Silent Night have a funereal overtone to it? Michael Bolton's version - the last one I have heard - makes you want to blow your brains out.

The winner of the Christmas songs has to be Celine Dion's underated The Magic Of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone). Unlike most of her songs, which dwell on love, this Christmas song boasts lyrics that are lively and motivating, just what people need after all that stressful Christmas shopping. The song tells of how lucky and blessed we all are and emphasises the importance of family and friends, without resorting to any religious references or 'let's party' corniness. You can read the lyrics of this very special, relatively undiscovered of Christmas songs on Celine Dion's official website here.

Many people get depressed at Christmas time, harbouring resentment towards it as society dictates that you celebrate it. Take a leaf out of my book - shut yourself away with your loved one and listen to music together. If music be the food of love, let the music play on.

And, by the way, Merry Christmas!