the holidays

[BlaqueKatt]

no seriously, I'm not a "scrooge", or a "Grinch", and for the love of pink hamsters please stop calling me one!

In my life there has never been any kind of happiness during the holiday season, I try to be happy for others while sad for myself, but I guess it comes off as insincere or something.

I'm truly genuinely happy your significant other that you met 10 nanoseconds ago bought you 50 bajillion expensive and thoughtful gifts, quit asking me what I got/am getting-because the same as every year, I get nothing, because no one cares.

Not everyone has a loving family to spend time with, yes I hid in the bathroom and cried for 20 minutes after hearing how difficult your Christmas was going to be because you have to go and pick up gifts, and spend time with 4 different groups, and last year you needed to make two trips, because your SUV couldn't hold everything. Last year I got...a used notebook. It hurts, and just because your holidays are filled with joy and magic, love and togetherness, doesn't mean everyone's are.

This year, since I'm not welcome at one side*, and the other side I'd get to hear what lovely and thoughtful gifts everyone else got,while they watch me try to not cry, and then when I do, they attack me verbally for not being "filled with the holiday spirit", and bringing them down, and I should "get over myself, already, and be happy, it's KRIIIIISMAAAAS".

My holiday plans involve volunteering to work, and/or sitting with my cats, who actually appreciate me, and being unhappy does not make me a "grinch", it makes me human, if I were a grinch I'd be constantly reminding you how miserable I am, and how because I'm miserable, you shouldn't be happy. Instead I just try to leave or hide in a corner before I can't hide my tears, so I don't ruin your day.

It's been made abundantly clear that I'm not loved or wanted by anyone, so can everyone just leave me the hell alone until say, march please?


*husband's family(I don't really have a family)not welcome because apparently my non-selfishness has somehow "tainted" my nieces and nephews, and the older ones have questioned why their parents aren't more like me.

[HYHYBT]

I'm sorry people are so horrible to you.

[AdminAssistant]

I'm feeling rather *meh* about Christmas myself. It's our first Christmas as a married couple, and we can't afford to exchange presents at all. My Mom moved 4 hours away with some guy she met online to get away from a bunch of creditors, and now she's off her depression and anti-anxiety meds. Dad finally got his sentence for his second (?) DWI and will be spending 10 days in jail soon. Oh, and he wants to move his girlfriend and her daughter into the house. Some strange girl is going to be living in MY room. And he wants to get married to this woman, which leaves my sister and I to figure out how we don't get screwed out of the house/property, the only inheritance we'll ever get. Oh, and the topper, my husband, who has been struggling with depression and spent a night in PICU a few months ago thinks he has found the root cause. He think he may be transexual.

Merry Fuckin' Christmas.

[bara]

The one thing that I know I can always count on is my family.

It pains me to hear that things are so rough for you in regards to that. I wish I had some words that would give you some sort of comfort, but sadly I dont. And for that I apologize.

All I can offer is my hope that things for you improve drastically. If you lived in my home town, Id offer to buy you a few rounds and listen to your troubles and wouldnt care that you passed out on my couch.

[Greenday]

This Christmas, I get to spend with my cousin who just got back from rehab and I've dislike since we were kids and family we never see that are a bunch of hicks that I can't stand being around. Fantastic. Can't wait...

I'd rather go to the movies and eat Chinese food with my dad.

[blas87]

I don't want to play "one up" or anything, I just really hope my boyfriend gets his kids during Christmas. I'm not quite sure how divorces and custody goes as far as holidays spent with children, but he went up north to still be able to see his kids on Thanksgiving with his ex wife's family (she lives with her parents), and I don't mean to sound selfish or crazy, but she's told him repeatedly how much she wants him back, he spent two or three days at that house.......I just really hope he gets the kids during Christmas and she doesn't come, or she finds a friend's place to stay at. I really don't like the whole situation. I understand when you have children together, but it's another thing when you have to worry about the ex-wife.

That felt really good to get off my chest, just to be able to say it to someone who doesn't know who I'm talking about.

And yes, I'm stressing about not having any money to buy my family gifts. These furloughs and hour cuts at work just about wiped my ass clean. Then my greedy self still goes and feeds my shopping addiction anyway. I guess I love me more than anyone else

[Ginger Tea]

I havn't had a christmas in years, never rasied religious so once I grew up and got my own money it was 'christmas whenever' regarding presents (from me to me).

I don't have family down here save for a cousin whom I've only seen once this year for a night out a week before his birthday (would say our's as mine was the day before but birthdays lacked their appeal once I got older).

This will be my 8th christmas working (I'm sure I got one christmas day off once) at my current job (and the last as we close before the end of the financial year), Annual Leave is a no go during december which dissapointed my mother when I got the job as it was her birthday on the 25th and my deceaced dads on the 23rd, so we had our last family christmas the following February, she died later that year.
Not having a family of my own I've found my name volentiered to work numerous times, but hey rather have the money than stop in by myself, this year it falls on my 7 day stretch and I am (allegedy) off NYE/Day, but honestly as I have no friends outside of work and haven't spoken to the couple upstairs in weeks, again, rather have the money, I'm sure someone will end up phoning in sick knowing they were meant to be at work for 6am on the 1st and I will not have gone out and probably gone to bed early as I really hermit it up in winter, more so now I know I won't have a job to go to soon so every penny counts.

[Giggle Goose]

Yeah, I always feel horrible because every year I just kinda want the holidays to go away. I guess I don't hate them, I just find them to be a nuisance.

This year the drama centers around the Yankee-swap style gift exchange at my grandpa's house. One of my aunts started this long convoluted email with the "rules" for gift giving, and of course everyone has to put in their . After analyzing all the responses, I've come to the conclusion that the offical rules are "no gift cards, no gag gifts, and you must spend at least $25." Or is it a $25 limit? Interpretations vary. Apparently someone got their panties in a twist last year because they ended up with a "gag gift" while other people got nice stuff. Seriously, I think I'll just stick $25 in a card just to shut eveyone up!!!!

Don't even get me started about people being in my face about not having finished my shopping yet. Sorry, December 20 is my last payday before Xmas, so i gotta wait til then because expensive shit keeps breaking that I gotta fix. Not to mention that I have final exams, which are a tad more important at the moment.

I am apparently the only one I know who feels this way about the holidays, so I wish we could all just get together and drink!

[Giggle Goose]

And yes, I'm stressing about not having any money to buy my family gifts. These furloughs and hour cuts at work just about wiped my ass clean. Then my greedy self still goes and feeds my shopping addiction anyway. I guess I love me more than anyone else

No, it's because when you shop for yourself, you don't have to worry about ungrateful bastards.

[HYHYBT]

Yankee-swap style gift exchange

Sorry, I've never heard that term before. Is that the "Secret Santa" style, where people draw names in advance, or is it perhaps one where you don't know yourself who you're buying for, or something else? (And, if you happen to know, why would it be called that?)

[Andara Bledin]

I've never heard it called that before, but I've participated in such exchanges.

Generally, everybody brings a wrapped gift without any tags. All of the gifts are then put into a pile. The participants draw numbers and then either choose to unwrap a gift from the pile (#1 has no choice) or take a gift that was already opened from someone else, who then has to go back and unwrap a new gift.

Honestly, while it's a fun game, if any of the people involved aren't on the same social rung as the rest, the potential for drama is way too high. It's easier to just have a random gift exchange where everybody gets whatever they happen to open and they can trade off afterwards.

^-.-^

[crashhelmet]

I've never heard it called that before, but I've participated in such exchanges.

Generally, everybody brings a wrapped gift without any tags. All of the gifts are then put into a pile. The participants draw numbers and then either choose to unwrap a gift from the pile (#1 has no choice) or take a gift that was already opened from someone else, who then has to go back and unwrap a new gift.

Honestly, while it's a fun game, if any of the people involved aren't on the same social rung as the rest, the potential for drama is way too high. It's easier to just have a random gift exchange where everybody gets whatever they happen to open and they can trade off afterwards.

^-.-^

This is what my team at work does every year. It gets quite interesting as gifts get swapped and we get down to the last gift.

[Andara Bledin]

It can be fun so long as everybody is essentially equal. If they aren't, however, you end up with people forming groups to ensure they get specific items among the group and there will almost always be someone left feeling resentful that someone got the nice item they had been holding and they got left with something less desirable.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

Those type of gift swaps work best with gag gifts. My undergrad department did one, called a "Dirty Santa" swap, with a strict rule that you could only spend $5. It was always a lot of fun, and funny to see who got stuck with what.

[crashhelmet]

Last year, it was a bunch of Nerf Dart guns, a couple cases of beer, and Justin Bieber crap

We're doing the same thing this year and have our party on Monday.