The Christmas adverts have already appeared on our TV screens, portraying scenes of lively family gatherings and large groups of friends having fun.
Yet the people who work for the charity Contact the Elderly know the reality is often very different for the many people in the north of Scotland who are lonely at Christmas – and the rest of the year.
Some have suffered the pain of personal bereavement and endured the loss of loved ones.
Others are fighting illness which prevents them from leaving their homes.
Many face the prospect of spending Christmas and the New Year on their own.
Now the Press and Journal is launching a campaign, in association with Contact the Elderly, to recruit readers willing to help “share the cheer”.
The aim is to create new links between those living in isolation and people who want to offer practical help, encouragement and meeting places. And we want to hear your stories – of both the pain of previous festive periods spent alone and the pleasure that a visitor has brought.
John Gall is the man responsible for launching the majority of Contact the Elderly’s groups in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
He also won the Active Citizen Award this year from ACVO and flings himself into a wide range of voluntary roles.
The charity is committed to ensuring that age is no barrier to having friends and colleagues who can provide comradeship, a cup of tea and a blether.
Mr Gall is determined to spread the message that senior citizens should not be forgotten about or made to feel that nobody cares about them.
As he said: “We currently have hundreds of guests attending tea parties at various host houses across the north of Scotland.
“But we know there are many more lonely, elderly people out there and we hope that with the help of the P&J, we can reach out to them.
“We have a large number of volunteers, but in order to grow, we still need more people in various roles.”
CTE currently has 11 groups covering Aberdeen city and shire, nine in Inverness and a further 16 collectives throughout the Highlands.
The organisation is also establishing a base in Elgin and Forres and is appealing for more guests in Aberdeen and guests and volunteer drivers in Inverness.
Richard Neville, the editor of the Press and Journal, said: “Contact the Elderly is not looking for much from our readers, just a little bit of time. Whatever you can do to help will make a huge difference to elderly people who live in isolation. Christmas is a frantic time of year for most people, full of fun and excitement.
“For others, though, it can be the loneliest time of the year. We hope our readers rise to the challenge and help make sure fewer people spend this special time alone.”
In the next few weeks, we will highlight the work carried out by the charity and focus on the challenges it faces in addressing the growing problem of loneliness among senior citizens.
And we will be inviting readers to make a small commitment, whether by visiting a neighbour over the festive period, becoming a volunteer with the group, or organising fund-raising events to swell the charity’s coffers.
Lorna Dunbar, a support officer for CTE in the north, said yesterday: “We are growing rapidly and, on average, two new groups are being created every week throughout the UK.
“We are working hard to reach those at risk of social isolation and offer them a lifeline of friendship. Our tea parties turn loneliness into friendship and we are committed to increasing our presence.
“Across the UK, we now have nearly 800 tea party groups with over 100 of those being in Scotland.
“Our volunteers are providing a regular, consistent and vital friendship link every month to over 6,000 older people who live alone, without family or friends nearby. In Scotland, we are supporting almost 1,000 older people, and nearly 200 of them are in the north and north-east.”
If you want to help, please contact: lorna.dunbar@contact-the-elderly.org.uk or at 01738 730249.
And send stories to pj.newsdesk@ajl.co.uk