Skip to content

A Different Kind of Christmas

Campbell Riverite tries to ease stresses of the holidays with Facebook camaraderie
80969campbellriverFran
Fran Furguson wants to share the joy of the holiday season with as many people as possible

Ever since I moved to the West Coast ten years ago, I’ve dreaded Christmas.

I came from a large extended family on the Prairies where the entire Season was filled with festive activities – and have precious memories of times with fun, food, and significant and meaningful connections.  I miss that noisy, bustling bunch – and I am lonely without them.

Over the years, I’ve tried asking people what they were doing for Christmas, hoping to find someone else who was longing for company, but I finally stopped asking. I couldn’t bear to hear about other families’ holiday plans. My husband and I went out to a restaurant by ourselves once for Christmas dinner, and have never felt so lonely in our lives.

I’ve started inviting people over to our home to share Christmas dinner, and that has felt better.

This year, for the first time, I’ve started talking about it.

It’s struck a chord with others, so I’ve taken a deep breath and started a closed Facebook group, “A Different Kind of Christmas.”

All ages and stages, singles, couples, families, are welcome.

We’re creating a large, new extended family to plan and share fun, food, and memories. We want to fill up people’s hearts, homes, and Christmas dinner tables. This is an invitation to share ideas, and make connections between people, so the whole holiday season is one that we can look forward to, and turn it into a conscious, healthy, and fun season. Come check them out on Facebook, call Fran at 778-418-1818 or email her at fran@talktofran.com