Help Rob Save Christmas (and pay some bills)

Hi, I'm Rob. Last year me and the kids didn't have Christmas, this year given everything they've been through I'd love for them to have a good one.

So, yeah. We didn't have Christmas last year. My partner died in October 2021 and it took months before we could even book the funeral, when we did book it we found ourselves dealing with an almost conveyor belt funeral thanks to Covid. The extra requirements for the partner's coffin and stuff meant that every penny we'd hoped to spend elsewhere went on the funeral. Neither me nor the two kids had the energy left for Christmas at the end of it and even if we did, the money situation after paying for the funeral would have made it a tough gig to pull off anyway. So Christmas in here was another normal day and yeah, bit of a rough time.

When Em (my partner) died last year, as well as losing my best friend and confidante and the kids losing a mum, it also made sure our cash situation has been really, really brutally tight. I'm quite proud that I've managed to keep our heads above water for nearly a year now with only one point where I had to ask for help and despite a lot of bumps in the road, me and the kids are still around, still together, still managing to look after each other. It's not been an easy task but yeah, we're still here.

There's just no way I can reasonably pull Christmas off this year. I've stressed myself senseless for weeks now but with now getting a third of the shopping for my money due to the cost of living crisis and me being a grand and a half in the hole on the energy bills and needing to pay at least a hefty chunk of that to quite literally keep the lights on, it's not going to be happening. I've sat down with the eldest and we've tried to wangle ways through it and it just ended in shrugs from the pair of us.

It's gutting, it really is. So here I am, asking for some help in actually having a Christmas for the kids this year and if at all possible, get on top of the bills so we can have a fresh start from the constant stress and grind that's been the past year and a half. I don't mind living payday to payday really but I can't fib, this has all got me down with how little I can do to shift things along.

I know I'm biased but they're good kids. The kind everyone who runs into them asks about them still years later and remembers how sweet and kind they are (like every good kid, they save the gobbing off for in the house). Losing their mum completely knocked all of us for six but it's hit the kids harder and in ways I can only be there to help get them through. It'd mean the world to me if instead of sitting there on Xmas morning with a couple of cheap odds and sods from B&M or something in a drab house, I could fix a Christmas for them - you know, presents, tree, decorations and that.

I've set the fundraiser to £2,500 which I know is a lot of money! If we got that, it'd clear the bills and we'd have about 500 quid left over to get shopping in, tree and deccies and some nice things for the kids. If it comes in under? I'll pay what I can off the bills and get what Christmas stuff I can.. If it goes over? I'll get the kids something really nice because they deserve something nice. Can't lie, it's been upsetting me how difficult this has been for them but I'm so proud that they're still good people at the end of it all. I know their mum would be proud of them too.

Man. I hated writing all that! But if you could help, I'd appreciate it so much. I know this is rough times for everyone so believe me, I know what an enormous ask this is. Especially when folks have helped me out before! But I don't really know what else to do at this point beyond ride it all out and have more crappy months ahead and no Christmas of any use.

Thanks and much love,

Rob

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