Who is looking forward to Christmas and who is sympathizing with Scrooge?

[aggieamy]

I'm seeing threads on both ends of the Christmas spectre so I wanted to do a poll.

 

Who is expected to have an awesome Christmas? Could be for any reason. DH got a job or you're taking an awesome trip or you've got the world's best family or whatever. This option is for people who are happy and excited about Christmas.

 

Who is dreading it or feeling sad? Once again there can be lots of reasons for this - crappy family drama or missing loved ones or financial worries and so on.

 

The other options are self-explanatory.

[MomtoCandJ]

Good part is dd getting American girl stuff. Bad we couldn't afford to do it ourselves :(

[AK_Mom4]

I'm excited for Christmas because the college kids will all be home and everyone is off from school.

 

I don't like fruitcake. But if you would like to pass the pumpkin swirl cheesecake, I will take a slice of that!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I was sorta dreading it.....tired of being poor.....tired of trying to scrap things together for my favorite holiday at the time of the year when the bills seem to be the highest and income the lowest.

 

BUT......we went out of our way to find as many small (and inexpensive) ways to bless us others as we could. Many of those ballooned into bigger things and I truly couldn't be happier. My money woes can wait. They aren't going anywhere. Right now, I'm so happy to have blessed others in so many ways. I have truly learned that you should NEVER underestimate the power you have to make a difference in someone else's life.

 

Oh....and fruitcake....GAG!

[nmoira]

I hesitate to say it, but I think this will be a good Christmas. DH has cut his mother out of his, and our lives, so there'll be no hypercritical, downer presence at our Christmas this year.

[beaners]

Other: Is Christmas coming soon or something? We don't even have our tree yet. I'm not excited about it obviously, but I'm not dreading it either. I'm just too busy to get around to it!

 

Other: I refuse to eat fruitcake, but I think of it very fondly. My grandfather would buy tons of fruitcake every year, and set it aside until he pulled it out at the following Christmas. It gives me warm and fuzzy feelings, but I won't touch the stuff.

[justLisa]

We are Christmas freaks. We love the folly holly jolliness and we are the cheesiest people on the planet. You could wrap up underpants in Christmas paper and my kids would jump up and down. From the day after Halloween we are basically crazy. It's NOT just the presents. I can't even explain it.

 

I always felt bad for poor scrooge. He just needed a hug.

 

My kids get more excited to give stuff to other people I swear. We go shopping one day JUST for donating things. The local grocer gave me a good discount for ordering cases of food. I love them. We always find a few families in need and give them a Christmas box. This year I collected dollar bills here and there, then filled a shoe box up to give to their kids. I've been doing this for years, it is SO fun. The kids always flip out and the parents tell me they sit there for hours separating it. I get a lot of joy out of giving people things. My mother says I have always been that way since I was a kid.

 

And I love booze in eggnog. More like booze with a splash of eggnog. Maybe because I don't like eggnog but it doesn't seem like Christmas without it. And fried finger food, that's our traditional feast. My kids are hoping for snow. So far there is an itty bitty bit.

[Alenee]

I'm beginning to get a little excited but my calendar exploded over the next few days and that is stressing me out. We're gone all day today and carolling tonight. Then up early tomorrow to sell dd's lizard and back to get ready for tea with a friend. Friday is treat-making day and somewhere between tomorrow and Friday, I need to buy the Christmas dinner food and figure out what I'm bringing to the Feast at the end of Liturgy Monday night/early Tuesday morning. And at some point in there, I have to wrap gifts and deliver treats. Oh and fit two more runs in for the week. I'm already tired!

 

One thing I am very excited about is the big gift we got for one of our girls. She's been saving her money for an iPod Touch. We decided to pay half and ordered it for her. :D She has NO idea!

[nono]

Other and other.

 

1. So far in the past week or so, my Mom, with dementia was shipped off to, and released from, a psychiatric hospital. She is having problems resettling at the nursing home for a variety of reasons. She continues to present like she could die at any time, but hasn't.

2. My dog had a seizure.

3. My cousin died.

4. Our Christmas lights shorted out.

 

I'm not bah humbug, I'm just trying to hang on so as to make it to Christmas.

 

As for the fruitcake, does it come with a few shots of rum in which to soak it???? I think I'd be up for that...

[aggieamy]

I'm swinging violently between happy and sad so I averaged the two and voted Meh. There's some sadness in that DH and I are going to have almost no relatives that we are going to spend Christmas with. The good news is that we are okay with that. Some of the relatives have been toxic so while it's not the Christmas I grew up with we can still make it happy. DD is still young so we're putting a lot of effort into creating new fun holiday traditions. We have a few friends with unhappy families of origin and we've invited them over for a Christmas Eve party with lots of games.

 

I've loved all the ideas I've been getting off this board.

 

My Well Trained Christmas now includes:

Advent calendar

St Lucia Day

St Nicholas Day

Using code names on the presents so DD has to try and figure out who is who

Lots of our presents are recommended here - play silks, books, a few games, Schleich

Christmas picnic

Rewatching our favorite Doctor Who Christmas episode

 

I love my aunt's homemade fruitcake. Everything else is subpar. I would eat it though.

[AK_Mom4]

I'm not bah humbug, I'm just trying to hang on so as to make it to Christmas.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Jane in NC]

I love Christmas. So there.

 

But I do find it so sad that monetary woes haunt people this time of year. I find it sad that some people seem to think that gift giving is all about reciprocation or one-ups-manship. There is a sibling with whom I have an annual conversation about her need to buy gifts for people even if it is stuff that the recipient does not really want. She is getting better...

 

We prefer to remain at home for Christmas. This means we are not with extended family miles away. That aforementioned sibling once told me that it is depressing not to be surrounded by cousins and aunts and uncles on Christmas. She is surrounded by her husband's cousins, etc., and does not understand that these are not my relations. Hence traveling to partake in her festivities is not something I choose to do annually.

 

Our Christmas is quiet. We like to attend a church service so that we can sing Christmas carols with a group. We have fondue on Christmas Eve and a special breakfast Christmas morning. We take a walk on Christmas day and visit the birds at the rehab center. We wish friends and family a Merry Christmas by phone.

 

In the days leading up to Christmas, we will raise a glass of eggnog (laced with something) in honor of my Mom who died a week before Christmas six years ago. Rather than feeling sad, this simple gesture makes me happy, continuing one of her traditions. I'll watch Holiday Inn, my favorite Christmas movie. It was my Mom's too. And yes I will cry....

 

I never thought I liked fruit cake until I tried my mother-in-law's cousin's version that must have had more booze than fruit in it. Well preserved and yummy.

 

The best part of the holiday is that College Boy is home for four weeks!!! What a gift!

[pie]

Mary of Puddin Hill makes the best and only fruitcake I have ever liked. It really tastes good! It is going to be a weird Christmas. Good and not really bad...just...weird.

[Freckles]

I love Christmas, but I'm just sorta whatever this year. It will just be the 4 of us because we live so far from family. The difference this year is my dh is now working nights. He will work Christmas Eve night and get home for breakfast and presents on Christmas morning. He will sleep all day. The girls and I might go to the movies to see the Hobbit. We will have Christmas dinner. I'm thinking of having a traditional steak house dinner. Then he will go to work about 8:30 pm. It's not terrible, but it's not the giant Christmas eve party I grew up with. I miss my familly terribly, and the holidays (any holiday) makes the distance so much worse.

 

I like the idea of rum soaked fruitcake, but I much prefer Chocolate cream pie.

[indigomama]

We've moved even farther from home this year, but our little family has grown closer.

 

We've read some really beautiful books this season, thought through the meaning of our Jesse Tree ornaments and had some fantastic discussions about the meaning of Christmas, and giving and loving all people.

 

It's really been simple yet so bright and meaningful this year. Kind of sad that it's almost over.

 

 

As for fruitcake-I've never had it.

[TammyinTN]

I'm totally stoked about Christmas and definitely not because of gifts. I have so much to be thankful for and I'm just counting my blessing and will be enjoying our Saviors birthday.

 

ps...I don't really care for fruit cake...but rum balls are nice. ;)

[aggieamy]

Other and other.

 

1. So far in the past week or so, my Mom, with dementia was shipped off to, and released from, a psychiatric hospital. She is having problems resettling at the nursing home for a variety of reasons. She continues to present like she could die at any time, but hasn't.

2. My dog had a seizure.

3. My cousin died.

4. Our Christmas lights shorted out.

 

I'm not bah humbug, I'm just trying to hang on so as to make it to Christmas.

 

As for the fruitcake, does it come with a few shots of rum in which to soak it???? I think I'd be up for that...

 

 

That's so much to deal with. I'm sorry. Dementia is so hard.

 

I love Christmas. So there.

 

But I do find it so sad that monetary woes haunt people this time of year. I find it sad that some people seem to think that gift giving is all about reciprocation or one-ups-manship. There is a sibling with whom I have an annual conversation about her need to buy gifts for people even if it is stuff that the recipient does not really want. She is getting better...

 

We prefer to remain at home for Christmas. This means we are not with extended family miles away. That aforementioned sibling once told me that it is depressing not to be surrounded by cousins and aunts and uncles on Christmas. She is surrounded by her husband's cousins, etc., and does not understand that these are not my relations. Hence traveling to partake in her festivities is not something I choose to do annually.

 

Our Christmas is quiet. We like to attend a church service so that we can sing Christmas carols with a group. We have fondue on Christmas Eve and a special breakfast Christmas morning. We take a walk on Christmas day and visit the birds at the rehab center. We wish friends and family a Merry Christmas by phone.

 

In the days leading up to Christmas, we will raise a glass of eggnog (laced with something) in honor of my Mom who died a week before Christmas six years ago. Rather than feeling sad, this simple gesture makes me happy, continuing one of her traditions. I'll watch Holiday Inn, my favorite Christmas movie. It was my Mom's too. And yes I will cry....

 

I never thought I liked fruit cake until I tried my mother-in-law's cousin's version that must have had more booze than fruit in it. Well preserved and yummy.

 

The best part of the holiday is that College Boy is home for four weeks!!! What a gift!

 

 

This whole post makes me feel warm and cozy inside. Thank you for sharing your good attitude. I'll try to model it. :)

[JudoMom]

I'm excited.

 

The company dh works for closes between Christmas and New Year's Day. This means we get a week of just our family. Doing nothing but things we want to do. Games, movies, napping, putzing around...just enjoying being together. It's the one week out of the year that I feel like I can truly relax and enjoy.

[Dandelion]

I voted "meh".

 

I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday. But this has been a very difficult year and I'm drained (mainly due to DS's struggles - which seem to become more pronounced during the holidays). So I'm having to muster energy I don't have to try to make the holidays special. I've barely started shopping and still have to write and mail our annual Christmas letter.

 

I'm thankful that we don't have the struggles many are facing (no extended family holiday drama, no financial worries, no serious health issues, etc.). :grouphug: to those that are dealing with those issues.

 

There's still a week left so maybe I'll pull myself together yet... :blink:

[dsmith]

We love Christmas, no matter what is going on. Even last year, after my mom passed, we still had a great Christmas. Yes, we were sad beyond belief, but we still enjoyed the holidays. And that is what she would have wanted for us.

[regentrude]

Other. I used to love Christmas back home with big extended family and all old friends back in town, with Christmas concerts and Christmas market and traditions.

Now? Just the four of us, in a dead small town several thousand miles away from family - not fun. Christmas makes me feel homesick and lonely.