How do you feel about the holidays? Love, hate, apathy?

[in a daze]

I'll be happy when it's over. I am having 25 people over on Christmas eve. This is husband's side of family. They expect you to make everything yourself. This year I am assigning them to bring an appetizer or dessert. It may be the last year as the grandparents are in their 90's and when they go can't see the rest of them continuing the tradition. I will be very much on edge as difficult child will be home and there will be booze around.

I am not looking forward to it and I will be happy when it's done.

 

[pasajes4]

I have to change my tune just a tiny bit. My across the street neighbor has a 3 year old grand. She is at the magic age of 3. She is excited by the lights and the mystery of the season. I was at our local discount store and found a Frozen doll, a Frozen backpack, and a little Frozen dress. I can't wait to give it to her.

They probably think I am a nut case. I love to do stuff like this. This is how I make myself happy.

 

[mom_to_3]

I feel very apathetic this year. My mother died last January, she was my best friend. My dad took off and remarried. He is a good man, just couldn't live his life alone. We still have contact with him, but it's just not the same. My sister lives out of the country, one brother is out of state and my husband said something awful to one of my other brothers that lives here and he will no longer come to our home. This has not been the family life I was accustomed to. All of our family dynamics have changed and I am very hurt, sad and apathetic about it all. I miss my mom! We always had family tradition and I loved that! It's all gone now. I had hoped to carry on the tradition but obviously that is not going to happen. I do have my own family, but always thought we'd always have big family gatherings. If I can muster up the strength, and I hope to, we'll begin new traditions this year.

 

[witzend]

It matters very little to me. We're having some folks for a big dinner the day after. We're thinking we will put up a tree Christmas day for that. It's almost easier to not be invited anywhere than it is to be a "third wheel" at someone else's holiday, if you know what I mean. husband and I are doing gifts. He's terrible at it - the only thing I will get is exactly what I told him I would like. No stocking stuffers, no little trinkets or candy. It seems silly to even bother because he never uses what I get him, but he loves to buy gifts for himself.

I'm not complaining - really. I'm happy with it. It just seems silly to bother with it.

 

[witzend]

I feel very apathetic this year. My mother died last January, she was my best friend. My dad took off and remarried. He is a good man, just couldn't live his life alone. We still have contact with him, but it's just not the same. My sister lives out of the country, one brother is out of state and my husband said something awful to one of my other brothers that lives here and he will no longer come to our home. This has not been the family life I was accustomed to. All of our family dynamics have changed and I am very hurt, sad and apathetic about it all. I miss my mom! We always had family tradition and I loved that! It's all gone now. I had hoped to carry on the tradition but obviously that is not going to happen. I do have my own family, but always thought we'd always have big family gatherings. If I can muster up the strength, and I hope to, we'll begin new traditions this year.

I'm so sorry for your pain, Mt3. That sounds like a really lousy year. Maybe there won't be new traditions "this year", but they will come. Your family traditions were built over time, not in a day. That's how your new traditions will come, as well.

I hope that you will reach out to your brother to say hello and wish him a Merry Christmas. Don't let your husband's argument with him be yours.

 

[KTMom91]

Miss KT will be home for Christmas this year, with her hubby, so I'm looking forward to that. I've always liked Christmas, even the many years I was working retail. It's got an energy that really appeals to me. That energy is why I'm out there on Black Friday (or Thursday evening), even though Hubby thinks I'm nuts.

I like presents. I like giving them, getting them, watching other people unwrap them...

 

[InsaneCdn]

Can Wednesday be Jan 5 please? Pretty please?

When the household consists of 2 difficult child adults, 2 difficult child kids and 2 difficult child dogs... 9 days out of 11 around each other is... impossible.

We're trying to figure out who needs to be elsewhere when, so we DON'T have 9 days together.

A two-day weekend is just about too long, and a long-weekend is torture. This is... insanity.

 

[Lil]

This year is just odd. I've always loved Christmas. I've always had a tree...even when I was single and before I had a kid...I had a tree!

No tree this year.

Last year the kid ruined the holiday. I mean, just ruined it! (Lied about getting us gifts clear up to midnight Xmas eve, which I found out on Xmas morning, spent his whole day pretty much locked in his room ignoring us, left the next day after gathering his gifts.) But still, if we hadn't kicked him out, I would have put up a tree this year and tried to enjoy it.

My husband and I are paying a contractor to do some remodeling, so no presents for each other. We're buying the boy tiny amount of useful things and the three of us will have dinner and see The Hobbit. That's it. Really, it's just so ... dull and sad. If it weren't for church, there would be nothing remotely Christmasy in our lives.

I did watch a couple of Christmas movies. All in all, I'd rather be in Vegas.

 

[Scent of Cedar *]

I have nothing against my ordinary, everyday life,
but I certainly do enjoy Holidays that cut into that
and give a great excuse for something else.

Very nice!

Cedar

 

[nlj]

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda.

(That's Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Welsh)

Well here in Wales it's been raining for days, but my eldest daughter is here and she and the youngest have been dragging me out of my christmas humbug mood and have decorated a tree and made various ornaments out of tinsel and craft materials that will get on my nerves soon but at the moment are making the house look festive. I've been trying to contact my son but his phone is dead, so no idea if we'll see him or not over the holidays. The fridge is full and my guitar's calling me to get off my butt and cheer up and play some christmas songs, but with the cloud of my son's life following me around I'm just not in the swing of things yet.

A walk on the beach would normally snap me out of it, but it's too wet! What a miserable old cow I am.

 

[BusynMember]

I'm really happy about Christmas after the apathy and my one downswing day (turned out I forgot to take my Paroxatine the night before, which is very rare, and very dangerous...won't happen again soon). Yesterday Jumper and me went shopping all over and looked for stocking stuffers and picked up the layaways. Bought food too. Jumper has never cooked for a holiday before, but she wants to this year. Sonic is very excited. We keep teasing him that he's getting a NICE present, but he honestly has no idea what it is. He keeps calling me to take guesses and it's fun. 37 had GS call yesterday...that was fun. It even snowed a little last night, which I wanted.

On Sunday afternoon we head down to Chicago to see Julie, SO and the baby.

I guess it took actually getting out and seeing all the Christmas displays and people wearing Christmas sweaters and listening to the Christmas music, which I love, to get me going.

My husband gave me an early Christmas present. We don't usually exchange much, but he knew I wanted a coffeemaker and I got a really good one, where I can use a K-cup or do it the regular way and I was over the moon. I like it way more than the Keurig I almost put on layaway for myself

It is interesting how even though my mood disorder is way under the control now (you have no idea how bad it was at one time) that it is still there and shows up in functional ways. I can be a little sad for a few days (or, more accurately, apathetic but can still function well) then be flying happily for a while, although not to the point of mania or psychosis.

Yikes, if any of you take antidepressants, like me, DON'T SKIP A DOSE!!!!

Merry Christmas

 

[pasajes4]

I am ready for the stores to go back to normal. People are acting like jerks. I offered a lady a cart at the grocery store. She snatched it so fast that she wound up hitting me in the hip with it. No thanks no apology nada. A large family kept blocking the isles while they argued over every item going into the cart.

 

[AnnieO]

I love Christmas. I truly enjoy watching the looks on others' faces as they open whatever gift(s) I made or found for them.

The best gift this year will be the annual angel. Mom gave Grandma an angel every year... When Grandma passed (10 yrs ago Sunday) , I took over and have had fun with it! One year was a cat angel, one was a crocheted angel with a walnut in her head and an orange in her skirt to hold her up, one was a story I wrote. This year, though, may be the best one yet. I got a cheapie wooden angel ornament that has a cutout for a photo. Let Rose at it with red and green Sharpie markers... Then put a photo of her face in it.

Second best will be the handmade leather knife pouch I got for husband, with a Leatherman Wave in it. The pouch has the USMC symbol and his initials burned on it.

Pat is getting the entire first 6 episodes of Star Wars on Blu Ray *and* DVD (found them for a STEAL), Dad is getting a custom coffee mug and vacuum attachments he asked for. And my house is getting the aquarium cleaned and new fishies.

I don't know what I am getting, and I don't care as long as we have family time.

Christmas Eve we're having dolmades, spanakopita and avogolemono soup... And Christmas Day, tamales and rellenos and enchiladas. These are mine and Mom's gifts to the whole family.

and the whole family is getting

 

[Nomad]

Well, I've been fighting health problems but doing decently, even well, mood wise. We are in the same city where our easy child son and his family live.,However, our difficult child daughter is arriving in thirty minutes! I KNOW I shouldn't let difficult child wreck it all to hexx, but it sure ain't easy. Last night, husband wired her $60. Why? Because she was broke. What a surprise. She needed a little money for dinner, to pay a friend gas money to drive her to the train station, for breakfast and for a snack on the train...plus a little extra. She called me this morning on the train to tell me she only had $1.00 left. WTH. So very frustrating. But at least she was polite while explaining her problem. Even though she doesn't see it as having anything to do with her.....it's a big mystery to her that she never has money. She doesn't see it as her fault. Did I mention that this is frustrating?!??$&#+*! I hope my migraines stay in check. Fingers crossed and lots and lots of prayers. Deep breathing.

 

[Scent of Cedar *]

and the whole family is getting

What?!? What is the whole family getting?

I was zipping along just really getting into the food part!

Cedar

 

[Scent of Cedar *]

Did I mention that this is frustrating?!??$&#+*! I hope my migraines stay in check. Fingers crossed and lots and lots of prayers. Deep breathing.

Deep breath. Let go. Remember that idea of the Christmas Truce between the German and the English soldiers in WW II?

Just for now, every single thing is exactly as it's meant to be.

Everything.

Cedar

Here is something that might help: Take a nice, calming breath. Say, "I never did mind, about the little things." Smile.

That helps me.

 

[BusynMember]

I love Christmas. I truly enjoy watching the looks on others' faces as they open whatever gift(s) I made or found for them.
The best gift this year will be the annual angel. Mom gave Grandma an angel every year... When Grandma passed (10 yrs ago Sunday) , I took over and have had fun with it! One year was a cat angel, one was a crocheted angel with a walnut in her head and an orange in her skirt to hold her up, one was a story I wrote. This year, though, may be the best one yet. I got a cheapie wooden angel ornament that has a cutout for a photo. Let Rose at it with red and green Sharpie markers... Then put a photo of her face in it.
Second best will be the handmade leather knife pouch I got for husband, with a Leatherman Wave in it. The pouch has the USMC symbol and his initials burned on it.
Pat is getting the entire first 6 episodes of Star Wars on Blu Ray *and* DVD (found them for a STEAL), Dad is getting a custom coffee mug and vacuum attachments he asked for. And my house is getting the aquarium cleaned and new fishies.
I don't know what I am getting, and I don't care as long as we have family time.
Christmas Eve we're having dolmades, spanakopita and avogolemono soup... And Christmas Day, tamales and rellenos and enchiladas. These are mine and Mom's gifts to the whole family.
and the whole family is getting

You have a tremendous advantage over most of us, Annie, and I'm very, very happy for you that you do have it. You have loving, caring, supportive parents and perhaps all your relatives are kind and loving and fun. I am so glad that you have this gift. Treasure it. I'm sure you do. Merry Christmas!

 

[Scent of Cedar *]

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda.
(That's Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Welsh)

This is so lovely, Lucy. I am going to copy it and send it to my grands. They will think I'm quite clever.

:O)

The fridge is full and my guitar's
calling me to get off my butt and cheer up and play some christmas songs,

I love this.

Cedar

 

[dstc_99]

I am loving it. husband is born on Christmas day and so he and his mom are complete Christmas junkies. I swear it is a drug to them. LOL

Having said that I hate the shopping trips near the holidays. I tend to shop online as much as possible. The malls are just insane.