Finding the real magic of Christmas (It's not in your trolley)

Christmas is close, the wonderful season when Liverpool glows a little brighter, the air smells like cinnamon, and there is twinkly lights everywhere.

The Big Trust, we've been thinking a lot about what really matters during the festive season and the pressure that sneaks up on people this time of year. Because between the adverts, the influencers, and the endless scroll of "perfect Christmas moments", it's easy to start wondering if everyone else is living in a Christmas movie.

So let's talk about the big stuff: The comparison. The overspending. The social media illusion. And more importantly - what really matters.

Christmas isn't a competition

There's no leader board for who bought the most presents, or whose tree looks "like the ones on instagram". There's no shiny medal for the most Pinterest - worthy buffet. But every year, the pressure slips in: Am I doing enough? Does my Christmas look good enough? Am I keeping up?

Here's the thing:

The people who love you don't care about any of that. They just want you - your company, your warmth, your presence.

Family makes the season

And here's something we see time and time again - Family is the real magic of Christmas. Whatever your family looks like - big, small, blended, chosen, loud enough to be heard from three streets away - they are what grounds us. They are the ones who turn "just another day in December" into something you want to bottle up and keep forever.

It's the shared stories. The "in-jokes". The kids running around like feral elves. The older relatives offering unsolicited advice because, well, they always do. And even if your family can't all be together, or things look different this year, the connections we hold dear are still our richest gifts.

Memories don't need a price tag

When you think back on all your Christmases, it's never the expensive gifts that warms your heart first. It's the chaotic, funny, imperfect moments that become family tradition.

• Someone forgetting the gravy

• Someone crying laughing at the terrible cracker jokes

• Everyone needing a post dinner nap

• Someone burning the pigs in blankets but serving them anyway.

Those memories? Priceless! They're the bits money can't buy - and social media cant fake.

Social media isn't the full story

And speaking of social media - remember, nobody's posting the part where the family dog knocks over the tree or where everyone argues over who's sitting on the "good chair". What you see online is a highlight reel - sometimes heavily filtered, cropped, staged and colour-coordinated.

But real familied, real love, and real Christmas? They're messy, warm, human, and a whole lot more meaningful.

What is important?

At The Big Trust, we see the heart of Christmas every year:

It's connection. It's community. It's showing up for each other. It's family - whether that's the one you're born into, or the one you build along the way.

It's abut being together, being kind, and giving in ways that don't require cash or a credit card.

A little reminder from us to you

Your family won't remember whether all the presents matched.

They won't remember the price of anything.

But they will remember how it felt to be together.

To laugh. To belong. To be loved.

You don't need perfection. You don't need appearances. You just need the people who make you feel at home.

From all of us at The Big Trust, may your Christmas be full of warmth, real connection, and the kind of family moments that turn into legendary stories for years to come.