BY THE time you read this, the Christmas and New Year break at Leuchie House will be in full swing.

As you can imagine, it’s an extra-special time at Leuchie. The house will be buzzing with laughter, chat and festive goings-on, while old friendships are rekindled and new friendships are made. For most of our guests, this social side is one of the highlights, particularly when the alternative may have been to spend the holiday alone.

Every year, new things seem to be possible. This Christmas, for the first time, a number of our guests will take a trip on Edinburgh’s Big Wheel – an exciting experience for most of us, especially if you spend most of your life at ground-level in a wheelchair.

Christmas is a busy time for our fundraising team too, when we benefit greatly from the generosity of the season. Whether it’s contributing to our annual Christmas appeal, coming along to our Christmas fair, or buying Leuchie Christmas cards, so many people offer their support at this time of the year.

I suppose it’s no surprise then that a recent survey revealed that a staggering 83 per cent of Scots believe that Christmas has become too materialistic, with more than half saying that they would be happy if a friend or family member donated money to help someone in need rather than buying them a present.

While this is probably too extreme an approach for many of us, it is heart-warming to see that as a nation we still recognise the value of giving back.

A look around Leuchie at our guests enjoying life and new experiences is a wonderful reminder of just how much of a big difference this kind of support makes.

So from every one of us at Leuchie House, thank you to all our supporters in East Lothian for helping us make every day special. We wish you a very peaceful and happy Christmas and our best wishes to you all for 2017.