Well, the silly season, as my Dad calls it, is over for another year and although I love Christmas, I can’t say that I’m sorry to see the end of the chaos which always descends upon the high street. Retailers always seem to neglect the needs of disabled customers by cramming in as much as possible and restricting access to tills. Each shopping trip from November onwards becomes more stressful than the last and my patience wears thin, as yet another over enthusiastic shopper fails to look where they’re going and I narrowly avoid running them over!

After boycotting the shops between Christmas and New Year, our supplies were beginning to run low so I braved a trip to our local Aldi. It seemed that the silly season was still in full swing so I decided just to grab the basics and get out! Joining the long queue which didn’t seem to move, I was thankful that I did our big food shops online, from the comfort of our warm and cosy home. No such queues online! Fraught and frustrated, I finally got to the till and paid for my couple of items, and then I hear a small voice. “Is there anything I can help you with?” and I turn around to see a young lad, no older than eight, eagerly awaiting my reply. In all the madness and chaos, this young boy was thoughtful enough to offer a hand. My mood changed completely and I was so touched by his kindness that I accepted his offer and asked him to hang my shopping on the handle of my wheelchair. I thanked him profusely and all the silly season stress was suddenly forgotten. I left the shop smiling and suddenly glad that I’d decided to brave the shop.

Small acts of kindness could reduce everyone’s stress levels and perhaps make next year’s silly season a bit more bearable!

Happy New Year!