We wish you a rubbish Christmas*

This year, we’re going all out to celebrate the small, and slightly rubbish, things about Christmas that bring us joy. And we’re confident it’s going to be one of the best we’ve had.

Brilliantly bad pop songs…emergency chairs around the dining table…Christmas crackers…interminable Charades…cosy socks…festive movies…

Would Christmas be Christmas without them?

The best things come in small (and sometimes slightly rubbish) packages

At mm*, we’re revelling in the things that bring us together when December rolls around. We’re talking the gloriously grounding, the hilariously humble and the reassuringly reliable – everything we’d miss if they weren’t in the picture from Advent onwards. And we say they’re made even better when they’re just a little bit rubbish.

Don’t get us wrong. We mean ‘rubbish’ in the best possible sense. The unintimidating. The stunningly simple. The masterfully misjudged.

Because what’s so brilliant about these rubbish things is how relatable they are. How many of us have put on our ‘thank you’ face for a truly terrible gift? Or smoothed over a touch of family tension with the sudden assertion that it’s time for the after-lunch walk? We’ve all got our variation on a handful of themes. And when we share our stories, there’s a sense of togetherness that’s the essence of Christmas conviviality. And they help to do something else, too.

Taking things down a gear to bring ourselves up

A 2019 YouGov survey found that 25% of the population reported Christmas having a negative impact on their mental health with 7% describing it as having a very negative impact¹. Which makes sense. Why wouldn’t loneliness and anxiety peak if our reality doesn’t match up to the messages we’re given that it’s the season of joy and togetherness? Especially in a year that’s been so full of sadness and struggle across the globe.

Even for those of us fortunate enough to have reasons to be cheerful, the pressure-cooker effect of a celebration that starts in November and piles on the expectations until the day itself is a recipe for stress.

And so, by focusing on the small things that make Christmas great, we’re aiming to take a load off. We’re going to dispense with comparison and put away perfection. It’s a great song, but there’s just no such thing as The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and if we strain to make it so, the season that’s supposed to bring a bit of light into our lives can become a blazing bonfire of discontent.

Revelling in rubbishness

So, this year, we’re embracing a rubbish Christmas, celebrating the touchstones we share, making fun of the traditions we can’t do without, and finding our festivity in the things we’ve already got.

At mark-making*, this Christmas is going to be great. Because it’s going to be just a little bit rubbish. And wherever you are, and however you do it, we hope yours is just a little bit rubbish, too.

Follow us on socials (LinkedIn & Instagram) to find out more about how we’re celebrating a rubbish Christmas.

This year, we’re supporting Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day campaign, which aims to raise money for children at home and abroad facing some of the toughest challenges imaginable. Contributing to this brilliant fundraiser feels particularly important in a year in which so many children have experienced conflict, displacement and deprivation in the wake of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and a cost of living crisis in the UK.

Any support you can offer will help make a real difference to the people who need it most. To donate £5 text the word RUBBISH to 70050 or choose an amount to give on our fundraising page h e re.

Thank you!