Westminster Notes - Reflecting on a bittersweet time of the year

Decorating for Christmas acknowledges the promise of better times to come.

It’s a pleasure to wish all my constituents in Angus and Perthshire Glens a very Merry Christmas, writes Dave Doogan MP.

I really enjoy this time of year where families reunite, work routines are suspended, and we can look forward to times of joy with friends and family. A time to appreciate that which we should be grateful for, all that we hold dear, and those we enjoy these good times with.

Amidst it all, we may choose to remember that for many, Christmas can be bittersweet. A celebration for sure but, at the gathering around the table, no amount of food will compensate for the empty chair once occupied by a loved one now lost.

For some, no amount of laughter and chatter can mask the absent voice of that special person no longer here with us. In such circumstances we may reconcile our loss, to some extent, by enjoying the gift of countless memories of Christmases gone by and carrying those memories with us into next year.

As I travel around Angus and Perthshire Glens in support of my constituents, I see the many wonderful creations and illuminations people have created to decorate homes, shops, hotels and pubs in every town and village. It is simply fantastic to see the effort and expense households and businesses go to, brightening up the place at this, the otherwise dullest time of year.

There is a good reason that, long before Christianity, people convened in light to celebrate the passing of midwinter and the promise of better times to come.

I believe in better times to come, it’s why I have committed myself to political activism for the better part of two decades. As your MP, please take it from me there are many among us for whom better times cannot come too soon. Christmas is also a time when many of us reflect and act in support of those who are much less fortunate and who need our help.

And for those of us in fear, distress or danger over the festive period, we confidently rely on those who will go without their Christmas so we can celebrate ours. Thank you to our NHS staff, our armed forces, our police and firefighters, ambulance and social services who have all got our backs on this, and every other day of the year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.