Topic : 12/13 Holiday Horror Stories

I'm just so angry at the woman who's been making Christmas hell for her family since her husband bought her the wrong gift 26 years ago. My husband died in March, I'd give anything to have him here, and he could sure give a gift....he gave me a shop vac last year, a car buffer one year. But he was thinking of me when he bought the gift. He knew I'd been planning to buy a new shop vac, so he was listening. I knew I'd better watch what I said in the month or so before Christmas, my birthday, our anniversary. It was almost a game to steer him in the right direction. Sure I'd have liked a better gift.......She's lucky she still has her husband. My family is in pain this Christmas, the pain of Mike not being here. My youngest grandson ask 'How are we going to do Christmas without Grandpa?'  Nothing about gifts. She needs to shut up and be thankfull she has a family. Instead of the hell she's giving to them. She doesn't know what hell is.

In other words, do whatever works for you & your family situation. It doesn't have to be the same thing year in, year out, either...some years we would travel North, others South, yet others we'd stay home.

 

Owing to grave illness in my family (cancer, prognosis not officially given, but we're thinking anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months), we cannot make Christmas plans with any kind of certainty. My 10 y/o is aware of the situation; my toddler, obviously, is not. Nevertheless, we'll celebrate it somehow, some way...it just may not be with as many "trimmings" or family members as usual (e.g., we've already abandoned the idea of a 'real' tree and the decorations and meals may not be all I had planned). Further, we lost my MIL a year ago Thanksgiving, so the holidays were already a bit of a "blue" time for us...but I cannot fathom just saying "screw the Christmas festivities" b/c I am miserable.

 I like Christmas...but, sometimes I get a bit  "Scroogy"

Gee, could it be because we see Christmas stuff for sale before Halloween? After nearly 2 months of hall decking, Christmas Day seems like an anticlimax. After Labor Day it all seems like a blur one holiday fades into another anymore. This gets nerve wracking.

For me, and alot of others Jesus is the reason for the season and others just like the "magical atmosphere" but I think  most of us get jaded after a while.

So when people ask... "your shopping done yet?" my answer is nope! If it ain't December, I probably haven't really started yet, and my tree is never up until about two weeks before Christmas...

Anyway, now I can say Happy Holidays!    (after all It's December...LOL!)

 Beautiful!! Thanx

Respect for people that don't care about love, warmth, peace, and family? Hmmm OK. I respect everyone until they give me reason not too.

I detest it when people make blanket statements; it shows a distinct lack of reasoning.

 

 'Noybody really celeabrates the holiday for the right reasons anymore...'

 

How do you know what everyone is doing and or thinking? Are you an authority on "right reasons?" I have never been caught up in commercialism in my entire life, so that blows away your theory. Time to rethink. Find the joy in everything. Life it too short to miss a single opportunity for happiness; that's the BIG DEAL!!!!!!

Let me start off by saying that I am no big fan of the holiday season, especially our American culture's materialistic perversion of Christmas.  My life has had its share of misery and loss, and it would be only too easy for me to wallow in self-pity and be a Scrooge.  But instead I choose to give those around me the gift of being charitable and pleasant when I would rather just skip the whole thing.  It would be selfish of me to drag down everyone else's Christmas just because my life hasn't turned out like something out of Norman Rockwell.  If others in the family choose to create drama, that's on their head, not mine, and I refuse to get sucked into that.  And BTW, a good escape if things start to heat up at Christmas dinner is to head for the kitchen and start in on the dishes -- the troublemakers in my family are the last ones to pitch in and help!  <LOL>

 

So Joyce, give that Scrooge routine a rest.  You have spoiled your family's Christmas for far too many years and you need to get over yourself.  Same for Val's girls -- you are grown women and should be working together to help your mother instead of creating chaos.  Making a good Christmas dinner for a large family is a LOT of work, and it seems that you are taking it -- and her -- for granted.  Christmas is about faith and family and what you can GIVE to others.  Sometimes the best gift is to just shut up!  And it wouldn't hurt to take some time to be thankful that you can all be together for the holiday, because you never know what will happen in this life.  We buried a 24-year-old three months ago; don't think this could never happen in your family. 

 

Even in my worst years, the thing that has kept Christmas tolerable is remembering that we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. My life with Him is far from perfect, but I shudder to think of where I would be had He never been born!  Peace and blessings to all.

Does it really matter?  He doesn't have any children so he probably enjoys your family.  I used to be alot like this until I realized that life is too short to get caught up stressing about the small stuff.  Just let it go.

Probably once he sees that he is not getting to you he'll be more respectful anyway, some people like to push other peoples buttons! 

Enjoy the holidays, especially if this is making you dread them, you need to think of some real probems people are having  - no food, no shelter, no family.

I can so relate to this. My dad died near Christmas and it was like the light in our lives had died. My mother-in-law and my father-in-law both died in the month of December, 1998 and 2003 respectively. We had always had such big celebrations at their houses. I miss all of them so much. But time will help. You just need to take it one day at a time. While it will never be the same as before your husband passed away, it can still become a time for your family to celebrate. Please accept my sympathy for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Oh, I agree 100% with you! What a selfish lady! Was she never taught that it's the thought that counts? NOT what the actual gift is?! Good grief! If I ever did that, my mother would be so ashamed of me! She taught me better than that! And for her to be angry for over 25 years??? Wow! I think Joyce has more issues than she's letting us believe. She's very materialistic, asking for nothing but diamonds! If I were her family, I'd be giving her lumps of coal instead!