It sells us the idea that joy and celebration are a must; yet for many, it can also be a season of amplified loneliness, grief, and interpersonal conflict. It intensifies the pressure to consume, yet still gives us the possibility of being creative and sustainable in our giving and receiving. It offers us the opportunity for new beginnings, as much as it can remind us of how difficult it is to change, even when we want to.
I barely repressed what I could only describe as a growl, as I hurriedly let us out of the claustrophobic pod, trying hard not to touch anything at all. It had been an extraordinary few months. The decision to attend the Green Man festival, which involved camping for three nights in a huge open space in the Welsh countryside surrounded by thousands of other festivalgoers - one that put me way out of my comfort zone - was the final culmination of our family experiment.