Anosmia and Me… Christmas 2022
What is it about Christmas that sends so many of us into a frenzy? This seems to start earlier every year.
I live in a small Market town and we have already had our Christmas Lights switch on celebration, a Christmas Sparkle Event and it is not even December yet!! As a town we were lucky as it didn’t rain, not something you can bank on in late November. A dry afternoon and evening meant so many more people came out to enjoy themselves. Our local council doesn’t have an issue with closing off part of the town for any kind of local, traditional celebration so we had a street market, roving entertainers, music provided by local band playing and much more from midday. Before the actual countdown to the switch on we even had a parade through the centre of the town to the Market square.
Even anosmics like me could enjoy the atmosphere created by such a fun event. What made it even more special were the quirky street performers. My favourite has got to be the amazing roving Piano Man. This was a man playing carols on a tiny piano which was the front end of his peddle bike. I couldn’t always work out whether the bike was going sideways or the piano. Another was a lady who I swear must be double jointed. Her whole performance was based around Hula Hoops, not the snacks, the rings! She encouraged the audience to try some of her routines, no way was I going to show myself up, but some brave souls did making her audience even bigger.
What I’m trying to highlight is that you don’t need a sense of smell and taste to enjoy events like these as we approach Christmas. We can all get so much from just being at these events and being there to take part in the countdown to the lights being switched on. OK I do admit to missing out being able to smell the different foods being prepared by the mobile food vans, but I can still enjoy the spices and warmth of a mulled wine and I did!
My town holds an annual Christmas Window competition for the shops, hotels and cafes locally. This year they even offered an online map for locals to find all those businesses that have reached the shortlist. This was because we get to vote for our favourite window, but we won’t find out who has won until a few days before Christmas. All this adds to my enjoyment as we begin to get closer to Christmas.
I am sure that like me you have to choose what to eat with planning and care. Texture, colour and spice will all feature on my Christmas menu to help me get the most enjoyment out of eating on the day, but please remember it is not just food that makes Christmas special. Making it a special time with family and friends is all part of it.
It’s the traditions behind Christmas that can help to make it a time to enjoy as I found out when I went to our town’s Christmas Light switch on event. Carol services, Nativity events in local schools, decorated shop windows and, dare I say it, even the endless Christmas tunes you can’t get away from when shopping all add to making it a time we can all enjoy even when anosmic.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.