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No. More. Socializing. Please.


Heather in Neverland
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Two different Christmas parties for work

Stopping by 12 different classroom Christmas parties

One day of gingerbread house decorating with two other families

Christmas Eve party

Christmas Day party

Daughter's birthday party today

 

All of this in the last 9 days. Stick a fork in me because this introvert is DONE. I am crawling in a hole and not coming out for at least a week. I love my friends and we had loads of fun but I am so burnt out from socializing that I am starting to twitch.

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Man, I'm trying not to imagine. I just did Christmas at the inlaws house, visited my parents yesterday and I'm feeling the need to not do one little thing today. (And it snowed big-time, so I don't have to go anywhere!)

I'd have been twitching after the first party. I don't do those. It's simply understood that I will not come to a Christmas party. Ever. Most people have learned not to bother asking.

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I am thinking I may need to cut some of this out next year. Some is unavoidable (like work stuff), some is becoming a tradition (this is the 4th year we have done the gingerbread thing with these other families). I am torn between wanting lots of fun holiday memories for my dh and children (and not letting my introvertedness drag the family down) and wanting to run away with just my family to some deserted island next Christmas.

 

How do other introverts handle holiday festivities?

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We run away to a deserted island. Neither DH or I were big party people to start, and after two deaths right at Christmas/New Years, it's hard to get terribly joyful. So we do the party stuff for DD's activities/friends, and then we travel. With the exception of Disney, most tourist destinations are beautifully decorated, but largely deserted for Christmas proper, and often the people there are also those who don't have much to feel happy about-which ends up being a comfort in and of itself. DD has spent a lot of time on Christmas Eve/day in nice hotel lobbies talking to senior citizens who were widowed in the year. We spend a lot of time as a family talking, eating cookies, and playing board games.

 

Sometimes I feel guilty that DD doesn't get the big Christmas-but given her various issues, I suspect the big family Christmas celebrations, where we'd end up doing several DAYS of big, non-stop group events, would be even more torturous for her than they were for me.

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Wow. I would have never made it through all of that.

 

 

Me either.

 

I just read a book called Quiet that really explains how cool it is to be an introvert and why introverts need down time. I feel better about myself since reading the book. I used to feel like, "Everyone else loves parties and hoopla. What wrong with me??"

 

Alley

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How do other introverts handle holiday festivities?

 

 

Very badly. We still have a couple more social events. I am twitching. I came to the conclusion last night that I simply should not be socializing at this stage in my life. But there are a few events I just can't get out of. We won't be done until New Year's Eve. I can't wait to get back to my comfy routine of being a hermit. I will be twitching through the first part of January.

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:grouphug:

 

I feel your pain.

 

It doesn't usually take long for me to refuel, but that many group activities in nine days would have been tough.

 

Can Mr. Heather in NC do the gingerbread house decorating next year?

 

And yeah, parties on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day would have been over the top. I wouldn't do Christmas Day outside of the hosue.

 

I understand your not wanting to drag down your family, but really, they need to be considerate of you, too. That there are more of them than there are of you doesn't mean that you never get to have your quiet time, KWIM?

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I hid in the bedroom hyperventilating when we spent four days with DH's very large, very gregarious, extended family so I'm not much help. Now we have to go spend New Years weekend with more family. I'll be twitching for at least a week afterwards.

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My brother, his wife, their two children, and their lab-sized dog have been here since Dec. 22. They left this morning. I love them dearly, and enjoyed having them--it's the first time all of us have been with any family for Christmas in many years--but oh, I'm so glad to be home alone. Mr. Ellie has just left to go to Lowe's and Wally World. ALONE!! AT LAST!!!! I'm going to fire up Netflix and watch Grey's Anatomy!!!

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We haven't had any large parties but we had company last Saturday, then went to my parents Christmas Eve, and are now at MIL's staying until Saturday, with a big party Friday. Even without it being big parties, this many days with people outside very immediate family is causing me a lot of stress. Which is causing me to snack too much. I'm trying to keep that from adding to my stress by promising myself the big diet will start next week.

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Ah yes the lovely holiday socializing. I am upstairs putting away clothes in my room. A very solitary endevour which involves no chatting with anyone. Not even the kids. :tongue_smilie: I have today only and than the family entertaining will start again. Here I thought my holiday break would actually be a break from homeschooling and talking all. day. Wrong!

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