THIS year, in the build up to Christmas, I’ve tried to do something different. Alongside writing the many cards, buying presents and trying to decide what to have for Christmas lunch, I’ve also made a few visits and talked with some people who find Christmas hard.

In fact, some of the people I’ve visited really don’t look forward to Christmas at all. Having to go to a Foodbank to feed your family is hard. Having to go to a payday lender simply to get enough money to buy presents is hard. Sleeping rough on the streets is even harder. There are people in Gloucestershire for whom this is the reality of Christmas.

A recent report called Feeding Britain highlights the large number of people now turning to Foodbanks. Launching the report, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of how shocking it was to find this happening here in the world’s fourth largest economy.The recommendations of the report are far reaching and already some supermarkets are responding (changing the way they donate waste food). The different political parties are also looking at policy changes. But what about me? How will I respond to the people I met and the stories I heard of people facing real hardship this Christmas?

Well to start with, it’s worth remembering that the Christmas story is all about hardship. Imagine Mary, nine months pregnant, riding a donkey to Bethlehem. Imagine having to give birth in the mess of an animal shed. Imagine fleeing for your life when the government sends troops to kill all the babies. I’m afraid children’s nativity plays often miss the most important part: pain, discomfort and mess were the realities of the first Christmas. And God entered into it all.

So how about doing something different this Christmas? This doesn’t have to mean discarding the time honoured traditions of presents, family gatherings and festive fun. Donating food to a Foodbank, signing up for a Credit Union or giving something to a charity for homeless – acts which speak of the real meaning of Christmas.

The Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt Rev Martyn Snow, who is currently taking on the duties of the Bishop of Gloucester.