Q Talk

[violettP]

I lost my mom too young, many years ago, and Christmas is just always hard. This year, me and my husband (just married over a year), may stay home because we are moving, but usually we go up to New England to visit his family. Honestly i hope we can just stay put here. It feels like too much, moving, and then having to travel. A couple things I love about the holidays is the music, and also buying new toys for our cats.

[newagain888888]

My natural tendency is to feel exactly as you do. From the time the catalogs begin filling up the mailbox around Halloween until the flyers, circulars, radio and televison commercials wind down Christmas week, it is one sales pitch after another. I find it depressing - not at all what the season should be about. We have a large and growing homeless population in our city and many needy families who are unable to buy Christmas gifts for their children. I found the best way to get into the spirit of the season is to look at  the true needs in our community.  A few years ago, we began visiting our homeless shelter ( taking over toiletries, warm socks and gloves, and when possible, much needed dollars to help the shelter with utilities and the lunch meal they provide daily). Last year, we decided instead to buy toys for a family selected from the local 'angel' tree. Some years we have less than other years. This year will be tough after my husband's company cut the employee pension and further reduced insurance benefits. Higher premiums, deductibles and out of pocket expenses have put a big dent in the budget. Still, we can always find a way to help someone with what we have no matter how little- and it warms the heart to feel we are making a difference. I really believe that the best way to help yourself is to find someone in need and do whatever you can. It's not only the best recipe for happiness, it has the added benefit of helping us to be grateful for what we have.

[Ms X]

I like certain classic Christmas songs and the decorations, but I'm not really full of Christmas cheer.  In fact, I've been plotting today about how to be passive-aggressive with certain AGGRAVATING relatives who are always being passive-aggressive to me.  Hmmm!  How can I stick it to them better than they're trying to stick it to me?  Could it be that that's what I like best about Christmas?  Naah!

P.S.:  I also very much enjoy eating chocolates and drinking red wine.  It occurs to me that my favorite Christmas activities don't involve PEOPLE. 

[MaggieMack]

I would say that it's not so much that I don't like it, it's just usually another day for me. No family that is close. I usually get invited to several friends' homes, but seeing all that family stuff tends to make me a little melancholy. What I do like about it is my very active Kiwanis Club, we ring bells for Salvation Army, tend the Angel tree at the mall, and gift two needy families with $500 shopping trips each through Walmart. Those things really warm my heart. And I love putting together little treat packages for the dozen or so young people who work at doggy daycare. Going to midnight services brings it all together for me, filling me with joy and gratitude.

[GingerPeach]

---

@Ms X wrote:

I like certain classic Christmas songs and the decorations, but I'm not really full of Christmas cheer.  In fact, I've been plotting today about how to be passive-aggressive with certain AGGRAVATING relatives who are always being passive-aggressive to me.  Hmmm!  How can I stick it to them better than they're trying to stick it to me?  Could it be that that's what I like best about Christmas?  Naah!

P.S.:  I also very much enjoy eating chocolates and drinking red wine.  It occurs to me that my favorite Christmas activities don't involve PEOPLE. 

---

@Ms X

This made me laugh!  

[Baileybut]

Use to love christmas. Dad passed away and now it's just mom and my husband. All our relatives now live scattered though out the country. In laws also. Try best to decorate and be some what in festive mood for Christmas. It's hard.

[151949]

---

@sandy53 wrote:

Like lovestoteach, my DH does not enjoy Christmas.  I keep things simple and still find joy in the season. 

151949:  Time to change the rules.  If you have the rule that everyone has to help clean up, you could have a rule that everyone brings food for the meal.  It should be easy since they live closeby.  That should get you out of the kitchen!  Remember that no one takes advantage of you without your permission. 

---

I don't mind cooking but in my family they would come and sit in the kitchen and help me or at least keep me company. I feel like the hired help.

[stevieb]

My feelings about Christmas have changed as I've experienced life's transitions. For most of my life I loved everything about it. Beginning about ten years ago, it somehow gradually stopped being as festive, and the amount of work just started to seem hardly worth it, but still, I enjoyed it. I have to admit, for the past four or five years, I haven't really experienced any overwhelming joy of the season... Even looking back on the days when I loved the holidays; at some level, I think they almost always were at least a tad disappointing, though they were still great fun. It's hard to live up to that idealized version of Christmas many of us grew up with.

One thing for sure, I think I'd enjoy it a lot more if it took place, say in February, when there's nothing else, really, to look forward to. The multiple whammy of Halloween, Thanskgiving, Christmas and New Years seems like a bit much, and then, of course, there's nothing...

[Azcowgirl]

I too have a DH who gets very hard to live with at Christmas, and I find myself looking forward to when the holidays are over. also, It is so cold and dark out, I think that is getting to me. I keep thinking, why does it seem like I need to add more lights in my house...I thought today about calling an electrician to come over and give me some ideas ! ):

[Kachina624]

I always loved Christmas but it's not much fun when you're alone with no family or children around.  I can see why some just hunker down and hope it's soon over.  Every other year or so, I spend it with my sister in Philly and we have a ball, but when I'm here alone, it's pretty awful.