Happy SMIZZmas: my holiday message to you

It’s the annual Smizz Christmas card!! I couldn’t decide which one to share, so I’m sharing them as a collection.

As we celebrate the holidays, and enter into a new year – let’s remind ourselves that love is trust, empathy, humanity, mutual aid, and care. A society built on such love is a strong society—probably the strongest of all possible societies.

I drew Doncaster and used it as my christmas card this year to raise some money for the floods. I was moved by the usual hardships my immediate community have had to endure – from effects of climate change & things beyond this – in particular, Tory cuts. BUT I saw my community come together. People opened up their homes for others, people came together and did art auctions – dedicating their time and work and labour. Volunteers ran emergency shelters & food for all. Members across Doncaster Council, Ed Miliband, Red Cross & beyond worked tirelessly and around the clock making sure people & their homes were ok. And that the rest of us could try & get back to normality too – like roads being cleared from flood water and beyond. So I also ran 10k & sold some prints of these drawings (minus the snow added) – you can still get one! (A4 & A3)

For the rest of the season, I will be donating to Crisis to help fund accommodation for people who are homeless this winter season. Did you know that in Doncaster we have the highest rate of homelessness in the whole of Yorkshire? (This is because of Tory cuts & changes to benefit systems & them cutting all local councils money by around 40% before councils have to sell local assets such as football pitches to get some more funding)

I am also donating to Open Arms, which is a non-governmental organization whose save all the people who are mighty desperate to try & reach Europe by fleeing horrible conditions of war, persecution or poverty.

We (the people in the UK) often fetishise the means of making people’s lives good and fulfilling, while ignoring the fundamental entitlement to those good and fulfilling lives. Like, we talk about train fares and renationalisation, not how amazing it would be to travel cheaply and efficiently.

We talk mostly about what people should settle for, not what they have every right to expect. One reason the UK has drifted heavily into inequality is cuz we have accepted the idea that having a decent life is provisional. And it truly is not. And this is something i am focusing on this holiday season. Making people feel seen and heard.

As y’all know, I am a bit extra when it comes to the festive season. And it stems from the winter of 2012, when I was really, really sick.

All of the money I earnt from my job at waterstones that festive season, in between hospital appointments, literally went on buying people gifts – like I wanted that Christmas to *really* count because I wasn’t sure if I was going to have many more. These were literally my thoughts.

It was when I realized that I took a lot of things in my life for granted, and getting to enjoy and be with friends and family over the holiday periods was one of them. I felt a bit ashamed of this taking and not giving that I had done so much in my life, and not acknowledging the things in my life to be grateful for. After all, we were extremely lucky considering.

In this new light, I reverted back to my younger Christmas excitement. Keen to make that Christmas an awesome one – and i continue this legacy on. i NEVER want to take any of my privledges — this life for granted. And I don’t want to witness the suffering – a lot which is unnecessary due to a lot of gov policy & culturally – without trying to help.

I love how the narratives surrounding christmas – in our movies & shows & music – are about second chances, redemption, hope, a time to make up for a time you wasn’t very nice. And it’s the reason why I get so excited for Christmas! It’s a time where people try to be better versions of themselves – even if it’s just for the holidays – and they try to right their wrongs, and they think of others more than we usually do normally. And suddenly we make more effort to go out together, and all of these things added together really makes a dull season do-able. It brightens up a bad year or makes the year ahead seem less daunting.

And just like watching these endless xmas movies that my mom and I do every year now, it’s not ever about the gifts at all, but about spending time or getting in touch with those who matter. About sharing if you have enough.

The false scarcity is this: we believe that shutting out others, keeping them out of our orbit, our country, our competitive space—that this somehow makes things more easier for us.

But today, value isn’t created by filling a slot, it’s created by connection. By the combinations created by people. By the magic that comes from diversity of opinion, background and motivation. Connection leads to ideas, to solutions, to breakthroughs.

The false scarcity stated as, “I don’t have enough, you can’t have any,” is more truthfully, “together, we can create something better.”

And going forwards in setting the tone to my next decade is just that. To help, share, collaborate and support. To be compassionate and empathetic. To taking chances, and allowing second chances. Believing in our potential – not what people *think* we are capable of. I will do whatever it takes.

I just like to take this moment to say thank you to everyone in my life who have gotten me here too (from everything). I love y’all! Keep being awesome!

Happy SMIZZmas friends, whatever holiday you celebrate – and where ever you are. You’ve made this year incredible and I am moved by all of your generosity of kindness & spirit & support.

Lots of love, your friend – SMIZZ x