Now that we’re firmly entrenched in the Hallo-Thanks-Christ-Years Gift/Holiday Corridor, how is everyone feeling about the looming holiday juggernaut?
Personally, I’m just dreading spending so much time with the family. To make a story so long Stephen King would shit his pants short, the set of relatives I like, an aunt and uncle (and cousin) have been dis-owned by the rest of the family, so I won’t be seeing them, I’ll just be spending tons of quality ackward time with the other set, which thinks I’m an ungrateful mean spoiled, etc etc person, plus they don’t like that I still spend time with the “lost” family members. (thus concludes the longest run-on sentence in history)
I’m sure some people are actually looking forword to the holidays though, right? Some people aren’t dreading the upcomming (if any) time off, shacked up with your loving family?
Well, having a pretty cool family that (for the most part), I enjoy being around, I am actually looking forward to spending the holidays with them.
But if yours is not bringing you any joy (which is what the holidays are supposed to be about), then why are you subjecting yourself to them? Why not go celebrate your holidays with the relatives you do like instead?
Um, I’m actually looking forward to the Christmas part of it. We’re having a party for all of our friends, and I enjoy giving gifts to an extreme degree. I don’t get excited about it all though until Thanksgiving, because I start my Christmas shopping on the Friday after TG, and decorate my house on the two days after that.
I can’t get excited because all Christmas and Thanksgiving means to us is driving. My parents only live an hour away now, fortunately, but my in-laws are about 6 hours away. We’ve never spent a Christmas or Thanksgiving home alone after nearly 8 years of marriage and it’s driving both of us nuts. Since he only sees his family twice a year, he feels an obligation to visit them. If only they’d respect the fact that we make such a long drive to see them and actually act as if they wanted us there. (They pull the guilt-trip crap if we don’t go, but when we get there, they act like they couldn’t care one way or another).
My husband and I are going to have the holidays alone. Family is hundreds of miles away and not coming. I’ve tried to avoid spending the holidays with the family for the last several years–Summer is the time to go visit as there’s no pressure.
But Christmas just isn’t going to be that fun. I’m going to be the only one decorating, etc., so there will be no surprises for me. I doubt there will even be any presents I didn’t know about beforehand. That’s one of the bummers about not being the kid at Christmas.
My parents got divorced when I was nine, and I must say the worst thing about it was all the times we had to open our presents in front of relative strangers. What a way to ruin a kid’s Christmas! So I beg all of you not to make that happen to your kids.
But I am looking forward to NOT being at my sister’s this Christmas!