Alone for xmas again. It wouldn’t be so bad, really; out of the past 38 December-the-twenty-fifths, I’ve had four that weren’t painful and lonely, so I’m sorta used to it.
What -is- making it worse is that a friend who decided I needed some holiday cheer gracefully invited me to her home tomorrow to spend time with her husband and fun-to-be-with dogs. I accepted. Finally, a christmas that won’t suck!
BZZZT! Nine-and-a-half hours ago I was informed that it was called off. Just like that. I got some fucking guilt-inspired half-assed invite to come over Sunday, when they’ve (apparently) decided to invite everyone over that they’ve blown off this season (many of whom I can’t stand). Thanks but no thanks. Another holiday season lonely and annoyed I can handle. Friends who pull the rug out from under me? No. Hell no.
I want to get the atheists, jews, muslims together and try to get some legislation passed to make business’ open on Christmas!
Maybe i want groceries, want to buy a magazine, want a fast food item! :mad:
But the idea is that it should be slow and incurable both. Make 'em die painfully, you know?
Where I live, I know that Walgreen’s is open, and just about every convenience store, too. I can buy just about every necessity that I can think of, if they’re small ticket items. I think that there are some fast food places that are open, too. I know that my younger sister had to work on Christmas when she worked at McDonalds. And I know that Chinese eateries and movie theaters are open then, too.
I don’t go to retail establishments from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there are just waaaay too many people around. Some of them are pretty nice, but most of them are frazzled and down to their last nerve, and I don’t want to be around them when that last nerve goes.
Not a rant, but a tip for those who are having relatively joyless Christmases: When you get asked how your holiday was, say “Fabulous.” If pressed, just be non-specific – “Oh, you know, family, friends, presents, feast – what’s not to like?” And then quickly turn it around to “How as yours?”
Because a lot of people will want to hear all the grusome details if you say anything negative about your holiday. Whether because they really want to sympathize OR because it gives them a nasty little glow to know just how much better THEY had it. Either way, going through all the bad aspects will only depress you further. Cut them off at the pass.
And for those of you who are alone, indulge yourself just as much as you possibly can. You like bubble baths? Feel free! You can tie up the bathroom for hours without inconveniencing anyone. Pamper yourself physically and pretend you’re at a spa.
Read for hours. Have a Star Wars marathon. Play video games. Watch porn. Whatever you enjoy – just do it to excess. 
Make your favorite foods, just the way you like them. So what if everyone else thinks swiss cheese and saurkraut sandwiches are disgusting? Or have Christmas dinner be a four dessert course feast. Drink.
If you have loved ones but you just couldn’t be with them for some reason, make contact. Call them. Send email. Write genuine paper & ink letters.
Or do those chores you keep putting off for lack of time, if you’re the type who’ll feel a happy glow of virtue for finally getting your photos organized and your financial records in order and the top of your fridge actually dusted.
Just don’t play Christmas carols or watch Christmas type shows. The happy family perfect christmases will simply depress.
Good luck, all. I’ve been there in the past. Realize being in a bad situation this year doesn’t mean you are doomed for the rest of your life. It’s one day. Shrug it off, have as good a time as you can, and make plans for happier days to come.
In the back of my mind, I knew we were going to have a blizzard on Christmas Day. But I was so distracted by… life. So, here I am by myself in my apartment on Christmas Day. (Which is not the tragedy.) But I’m not prepared. I have no egg nog. No Xmas lights. No traditional Xmas food (I guess I’ll have a chicken breast for dinner… ). I don’t even have anything to do today. I might end up cleaning the bathroom.
Bah humbug.
I would happily sit home alone watching the wildlife out on the deck. Go for a long walk (it’s supposed to be near 40 degrees today!). Come home, have a glass of wine, something really yummy I had the foresight to prepare or buy ahead of time, and watch “A Christmas Story” on TBS, non-stop until it ends, with eggnog and all the cookies I can eat. If you HAVE lotsa friends and relatives you want to hang with, but can’t or don’t, Christmas sucks. My brother lives 1,000 miles away. But if you have to hang out with people who annoy you because that’s what the whole world says you HAVE to do, Christmas also sucks. It’s all in your attitude, and if this year is painful, it doesn’t mean all the other years to come will be.
I think next year, I’m going to blank out my Amazon wishlist and tell my mother to tell her sister that I don’t want any more of her guilt gifts that arrive well after my holiday and show no insight to… anything (when you have a list of stuff I want in front of you, why would you pick the least holiday-appropriate out of 30+ options?) and just serve to assuage her need to keep up the pretense of caring about me even though I’ll never be allowed to visit her home or see her, so long as her husband’s around. (Long, strange, sad story involving racial identity fraud.)
I don’t like having to feel ungrateful about gifts, but when they’re clueless and grudging and don’t ever come when I’m actually celebrating something, I’m disinclined to believe that they’re given with a generous spirit, so I don’t feel beholden to accept them that way, either.
I got a call at **8:05 a.m. Christmas Eve **to remind me of my dental appointment on Monday. Thanks – I didn’t really want to sleep in.
:rolleyes:
Dear Taliban,
Yes, we all know how insecure you are about your beliefs. You even hate Buddha statues for some reason. “If you don’t join us, we will kiiilll you.” I know you felt the burning need to post a video of an American soldier you have captured to us infidels on Christmas day. Congratulations!
We love you too! Since I’m in the Christmas spirit:
May Mr. Obama send a dozen or so hellfire missiles into your mud huts and caves just to let you know that we care and are still thinking of you.
I hope you have snow up to your asses.
When your collective asses finally meet Allah and he presents you with your 72 or whatever the fuck number it is this week virgins they all end up being donkeys dressed in drag.
Merry Christmas! 
Gravitycrash
This sounds like an interesting story - have you posted about it here before? I’m dying to know what “racial identity fraud” is.
My neighbor across the hall came over to see if I had a shovel. We got to talking about how I was making cornbread… He said he had some ham, he’d bring it over when he was done.
Despite my protests, my very kind generous neighbor brought me Christmas dinner. Ham, biscuit, stuffing, yams.
It’s the best Christmas gift ever.
That’s awesome. 
Were they yams or YAMS! ?
Well, that’s over with for another year. Yay!
When I invite you to a party, don’t give me a maybe and then give away hints that you’re waiting for something better to come along before you make up your mind-- it’s not only callous, but rude. I canceled my New Year’s Eve party this year because I got more maybe responses than any other response-- those who told me they would definitely make it will more than likely just go out to dinner with us instead. I am not throwing a “maybe” party for people who might show up.
(i have never posted in BBQ Pit that I can recall. I just want to get this off my chest, let it go, and move on.)
So, I go out of my way to make everything sugar-free for you and your diabetes. I always do. We had a fun email discussion about how I am gluten-free, you are sugar-free, and the other is a vegetarian. So I made sure everything I make is sugar-free and vegetarian friendly.
And you show up to my house with a gorgeous cake and breezily say, “sorry - it’s not gluten free. Oh well!”
And I’ve just been stunned. Particularly because you made a point that you would bring something gluten-free for dessert, so I planned my menu accordingly.
That and the fact that even though you were our guests, you spent the entire time talking to the other couple and ignored us. What did I do? Did I piss you off in some way? If so - why did you come?
I just don’t get it. I know I’m being over-sensitive. But you really pissed me off and hurt me and I’m having a hard time shaking the feeling.
I don’t believe I have. Long story short: my aunt’s husband and her entire social circle believe her to be white. She is not. Any members of the family who would disprove this by virtue of our brown skin are not welcome in her home in person nor in pictures.
:eek::mad:
Wow, I just don’t even know what to say about that. That’s just entirely fucked up.
Tumbledown - What’s the phrase – ‘passing for white’?
I’ve read about it in regards to generations past, but would never have believed it was still important today. If your aunt has been married for a long time, I can almost understand her fear of discovery, but what an incredibly hurtful way to live.
How sad for her that she’s chosen that path.
Thank you for sharing; sorry to interrupt the mini rants.
Some friends invited us over for Christmas dinner. This was a way for them to be nice to us, given that we’ve had such an awful year (since January: a nephew with multiple suicide attempts, mom died, one BIL lost his company, another nephew had massive brain damage in a car accident, one of my sisters was homeless for three months this summer, my husband had to have surgery, I am severely short of paying work… that’s most of it, probably missed a few things but you get the idea).
Christmas Eve their power goes out during our crappy weather.
Well, the last thing they needed were two more people in a dark house with nothing but cold food so we stayed home. Their power was out for four days, all the Christmas food had to be thrown out due to spoilage, disappointed relatives staying overnight in a dark, cold house … it really sucked for them.
Meanwhile, I was sitting at home all warm with the lights on and a pantry full of food. We were supposed to be the pitiful ones, and yet we weren’t!
They finally got their power back on. I sent them a loaf of homemade bread, homemade dinner rolls with nuts, a dozen and a half muffins, and 6 dozen snickerdoodles. That’s about what I’m able to give right now, so I gave it gladly.