There was an item on the news last week highlighting the problems faced by shop workers who were facing increasing verbal and even physical abuse by customers in the run up to Christmas.

Christmas can be a stressful time when we are trying to get our preparations done in too little time with too little money. Life can be stressful for everyone, but that is no excuse to take out our frustrations on someone just doing their job.

They are people too and have their own worries and pressures. The piece ended with a plea by a representative of the shop workers' union USDAW, to be kind.

Imploring people to be kind is a request which is increasingly heard in our modern world. Be kind! The word kind has its roots in the word “kinned” which means related. Our kin are our family.

The popular Christmas song We Wish You a Merry Christmas contains the line "good tidings we bring, to you and your kin".

A lot of people sing "to you and your king", because it rhymes with bring. But the actual words are "Good tidings we bring to you and your kin" - your family.

To be kind is to treat people as if they were kinned, as members of your family.

I don’t mean to feel that you have to invite them to Christmas lunch, or buy them a present.To be kind is to treat even strangers in the way that you would want members of your family to be treated, with courtesy and respect.

From a Christian perspective, the good tidings that we bring are that we are all part of one family. Jesus came into the world to tell us that we are all part of God’s family.

Whether we know it or not, we are all related! We are all “kinned” one way or another and have responsibilities to each other.

Families don’t always treat each other that ways that families should, we aren’t always kind even to our closest relations.

Christmas time is a time to be kind both to our nearest and dearest but also to our extended family.

Kindness doesn’t cost anything but it means a lot and can change a person’s day, so try to be kind.