It’s Christmas! And while this season brings much joy to both believers and non-believers - many of us will be navigating mixed emotions at this time of year.

A recent YouGov poll on Christmas revealed only 59% of Brits feel happy over the festive period. Christmas can come with a lot of ‘shoulds’ and unrealistic social expectations of happiness and connectedness. But, along with the festive cheer, comes memories of loved ones who are no longer with us, navigating complex family dynamics, loneliness, busyness and pressure to make the day special.

On this episode, host Tola-Doll Fisher and her guests consider how Christians might celebrate in this season, whilst being considerate of these mixed feelings - in themselves and others.

Rhiannon and her husband Pete serve together in a small church in Preston and have a blended family of six. She is also director of the charity Activate Your Life, which inspires women to share God’s love in authentic ways. Rhiannon's article for Woman Alive is the inspiration for the discussion we're having today. Read it here: https://www.womanalive.co.uk/notes-on-parenting--celebrate-with-care-this-christmas/20563.article and you can find out more about Activate Your Life at https://www.activateyourlife.org.uk/

Bekah Legg is CEO of Restored, a Christian organisation with a mission to speak up about violence against women and equip the Church to stand against domestic abuse and with survivors. Bekah and her late husband Steve have a blended family including five girls. You can find out more about Restored at https://www.restored-uk.org/

The Great Sexpectation question in this episode is titled ‘How do I not fall out with my family this Christmas?’

The Woman Alive podcast is produced by award-winning podcast producer, Dami Okeke.

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Released on 22 Dec 2025