In GBA 190 we get better acquainted with Christmas (again). It's the 2014 Christmas Special and this time we focus more on the complicated than the uplifting. The majority of the episode is a conversation between me and my friend Nina, two people with a complicated relationship with Christmas swapping our war stories. Also so featured in the episode is a story of recent Christmas joy from Connor and a song from Martin Austwick. The episode also contains my father's voice speaking to his granddaughter in the past and providing some Tove Jannson style Christmas spirit.

This episode hopes to offer solidarity to the seasonally afflicted and an explanation to those who love Christmas for why many of us might not. It does touch on upsetting family dynamics and mental health issues, including specific reference to traumatic events, depression and violence against children but in an actually pretty light and seasonal way.

For other GBA flavours of Christmas see the past 3 Christmas Specials:

2011: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-christmas-special

2012: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-91-getting-better

2013: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-141-a-room-full-of

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!

To hear the contributors at length in a none Christmas context listen to these episodes:

Nina: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-132-nina

Connor: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-186-connor

Martin: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-67-martin-the-sound-man

Dad: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes

Mentioned/Plugged:

Martin Austwick:

http://www.martinzaltzaustwick.com/

https://twitter.com/martinaustwick

http://www.thesoundoftheladies.com/

https://martinaustwick.bandcamp.com/

Stand Up Tragedy: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy

Full Tragic Christmas: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sets/tragic-christmas

Tove Jansson: http://www.tovejansson.com/

The Fir Tree: http://tygertale.com/2013/12/01/december-1st-the-fir-tree-by-tove-jansson/

The Moomins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

The Mum Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1

(There will be no GBA next week. It will return in January 2014.)

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