Christmas wishes

First, let me wish all my clients – both those I'm seeing now and the people I have had the privilege of working with in the past – a very happy Christmas. Whatever our faith, Christmas offers most of us a rare chance to spend time with those we love, to have a few days' well-deserved break and eat just a bit (well, a lot) too much. If you have small children, it's also a time of unbearable excitement as they count every second until Santa comes (and then leap on to your bed at 5am on Christmas morning!).

Of course, Christmas can be the hardest time of year for those without a home, those struggling to buy presents or food or having no-one to spend it with. So, if you are dreading the next week and can't wait for it all to be over, my thoughts and best wishes go out especially to you.  

And this has been one of the toughest years I can remember in terms of widespread financial insecurity and the seemingly endless procession of crises around the world (I'm not one for astrology, but something odd was definitely going on over the last 12 months), so here's hoping 2012 will go easier on us all.

I would also like to wish everyone peace and happiness, borrowing these lines from the Buddhist loving-kindness meditation:

May you be happy

May you be well

May you be free from suffering

Best wishes,

Dan