Christmas changed with my father's dementia diagnosis

GREW up in a warm, loving family, but we never really had money to spend on Christmas.

- Dame Arlene Phillips

Dame Arlene with father, Abraham, and her children

Even so, this time of year always brought a little joy in a gloomy winter. As a child, we would always be invited to celebrate Christmas with others, and I can still remember the excitement of receiving small treasures tucked inside a stocking.

As an adult, I really go to town. I love the twinkling lights, the rich food and the sense of togetherness that comes with the season. When the days are grey and heavy, the festivities bring a bit of colour into everyday life.

My dad loved this time of year too. I have such lovely, joyful memories of spending the festive time together.

But when my father was diagnosed with dementia, things changed. Christmas time became difficult sometimes painful, sometimes just unbearably sad.

This Christmas, I want to speak to those who know exactly what that feels like. Those of you who are trying to make sense of a season built on nostalgia and memory, at a time when memory itself has become fragile.