For those who celebrate it, and those who get swept up in it, Christmas can be a challenging time of year. Between presents, work events, holidays and all the seasonal food it can be a little overwhelming. But such difficulties also present a fantastic learning opportunity unlike any other time of year. Here’s a list of some suggestions we’d make for 5 courses for making Christmas a learning opportunity to expand your own personal development based on this time of year.
Everyone’s Gone a Little Bit Mad (Psychology)
With all the events happening as well as the joy and disappointment Christmas can bring the full spectrum of human emotion is on display at this time of year. Children, adolescents and the adults around them can all be seen under a unique sort of pressure due to societal demands and personal hopes.
Family gatherings, a regular feature of Christmas at some can offer a fascinating if unpleasant at times opportunity to study the dynamics of the family. Meanwhile, the lure of presents provides a chance to observe children through the prism of joy and wonder.
Or maybe you just need a way to learn to cope with all the burdens without resulting in egg nog.
We’re not going to judge.
A Christmas Tree Could Be For Life (Conifers)
Renewable as they may technically be, it’s an awful waste of a perfectly good pine tree to just cut it down, stick some tinsel on it and then throw it in the compost come the new year. However, for the tree-lover who just can’t switch to a plastic shrub, it is possible to replant a Christmas tree and thus use it year after year.
That said, there’s more to it than simply digging it up, putting it in a pot in the house then putting it back after the holiday is over. Proper care of conifers is a science in itself to understand how best to care for these wonderful evergreen plants. Very convenient that we should have a course on just such a topic.
Raising Your Own Holiday Turkey (Poultry)
With the current egg crisis in the UK, more people are considering keeping their own hens to provide a supply of eggs. But there’s no reason those with a bit of land and an interest couldn’t expand their ambitions to other birds. Ducks and even Turkeys are also poultry and many of the skills needed to raise one sort of bird are applicable to others.
That said, raising one’s own turkey to eat on Christmas requires the sort of stern character that can separate a food animal from a pet animal. When Winston Churchill exclaimed “I could not possibly eat an animal I have known socially” upon observing that a Goose he was to carve on a table had been part of his own flock he reflected a very real problem some of us might have gotten too close to animals we otherwise intend as food.
Staying On-Top of the Finances (Bookkeeping)
For those swept up in it, Christmas is an expensive time of year. Whether buying gifts or participating in social and work events, costs can quickly add up. That’s why it always helps to have a firm grasp of one’s own personal finance. Bookkeeping skills can be an invaluable asset to help with making sure that one doesn’t break the bank over the holidays.
Early New Year’s Resolution Planning
Fortunately for unrepentant Scrooges everywhere, even Christmas must come to an end. Eventually, the last turkey sandwich has been eaten. The last crumb of mince pie has been stolen by the dog. And perhaps most importantly the final playing of “Last Christmas” by Wham mercifully leaves the radio for another year. Then, amongst the wreckage and discarded presents must account for what we have done and the weight we have gained doing it.
That’s why it may be a good idea to get ahead of the curve by getting a personal trainer. Or getting two steps ahead of the curve by being one’s own personal trainer. Profit from the regrets of friends and family alike as you move into 2023 by learning how to train and motivate others to achieve their fitness goals. Or just derive a certain schadenfreude from the fact it was not you who ate the last slice of Christmas pudding.
After all, why stop the fun in January?
