An article on the BBC website ‘How pandemic burnout sparked a revival of a granny hobby’ discusses how people have turned to hobbies as a way to ‘soothe their work-from-home burnout’.
John Lewis reported a 90% jump in demand for needles and wool and a 36% increase in sales of crochet hooks – in August! Traditionally, not the most popular month for creating cardigans and woolly jumpers. And it’s not just the UK that’s feeling crafty. The US, Australia and Singapore are all reporting greater engagement in knitting and crafts in general, from different sexes and different age groups. And it’s no wonder. It’s a great way to switch off from one’s digital life and you actually create something at the end of it.
Creating things, either beautiful or useful (or both!) reminded me of a conversation I had recently with a woman who was a child during the Second World War. Our chat turned to how her family celebrated Christmas during the six years of the conflict. She remembers family members being absent, either fighting abroad or doing war work, as well as friends who had been evacuated. The sort of food you would normally associate with Christmas was scarce. Christmas cards were smaller and printed on thin paper; retailers could only provide paper for packing and wrapping ‘food stuffs or articles which the shopkeeper has agreed to deliver’ so no sparkly wrapping paper either. And ‘shopping early for Christmas’ started at this time because of the unreliability of supplies.
Yet, her memories weren’t gloomy ones. People were, as always, incredibly creative and determined to make it a celebration. So presents were often homemade, often using recycled materials. My friend remembers her brothers and sisters sitting round the dining room table, making paper chains from old scraps of paper or coloured pictures from newspapers to decorate their home.
The idea of creating something for ourselves (or our loved ones) this Christmas is a wonderful idea. From colouring in your own wrapping paper, designing Christmas cards or making decorations for the tree or table, there are so many ways to add your own personal touch this festive season. And it’s a great way to improve your wellbeing and give yourself a mental timeout at what can be, let’s face it, a busy stressful time.
I believe so strongly in the power of creativity that I think adding a bit of Christmas creativity is a wonderful idea.
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