Unhappy in Christmas, or happiness is not compulsory.

I don’t mean to be hipster or non mainstream or original. I mean this from the heart.

I feel bad about wishing merry Christmas. I wish all the good people happiness all year round, and wishing Merry Christmas sounds redundant.

The problem is, some people are NOT happy during Christmas. Some work in sales, and they are four times as busy and exhausted during this time of the year. Some are unemployed, some are not happy in their marriages. Many divorces occur after Christmas time, when people are forced to see each other and buried tensions come to the surface.

Some people are not Christians… although I dare think Christmas has little to do with Christianity right now.

If you are happy, I wish you continue that way. But if you’re not, I just want you to know that it’s OK. Don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel forced. Happiness is not obligatory. Do not fake a smile and cheer up because it’s Christmas. Sometimes you need to be sad, or ashamed, or angry or furious. Better times will come and you can learn from your negative emotions and what caused them. But if you are sad or unhappy or pissed off or frustrated, and all the Christmas vibe is only making it worse for you… well, welcome. I guess I cannot help you, but if you want to write in the comments and tell me about it, I can lend an ear. I’m not good at listening. I have a friend who is a genius at that, I’m merely mediocre.

But I can try.

Because you have a right to be serious at the party. Or thinking alone and silently at the corner. Or being sad. Or unhappy because you remember your lost loved ones. Or feeling alone. Or frustrated because you cannot enjoy your introvert nature right now. Bored because you want to go back to your computer and to chat with people in the other side of the world with whom you feel a deeper connection than to your blood relatives on the table. Whatever.

If you are happy these days, with a loving family you yearned all year to see back, congratulations. May it go on like that.

If you’re not, here’s a virtual hug if you want it, and an ear to listen, or just a nod in your direction. I know you’re there, and you’re not alone. I don’t know if that’s worth anything, but at least it’s a little something I can give, for whatever it’s worth.

Because I know you’re there,

Feel-what-you-need-to Christmas, everyone

And may things get better