Describe the perfect Christmas, what you're doing, and what would make it better

[Doomed2pain]

I figured I'd make a thread for a little bit of xmas fun, imagination, wish fulfilment, whatever you like. Be as descriptive as possible, who you'd include, where you'll be etc etc

 

[D n A]

Christmas would be better
if my sister, who I'm close to, wasn't moving out and into a house with my ex and two others by Dec 31
and if I actually got along with him, and we hadn't gotten in a massive fight yesterday
all my efforts went to waste to try and stay on a friendly level with him

and if my mom wasn't going away for 3 months on the 23rd

and if I could just get all my fucking shit together already

 

[Doomed2pain]

Christmas would be better
if my sister, who I'm close to, wasn't moving out and into a house with my ex and two others by Dec 31
and if I actually got along with him, and we hadn't gotten in a massive fight yesterday
all my efforts went to waste to try and stay on a friendly level with him

and if my mom wasn't going away for 3 months on the 23rd

and if I could just get all my fucking shit together already

I'm so sorry you are having a bad time

sending out love and healing thoughts to you

 

[D n A]

thanks
I'll live, lol. I try to laugh about things and take on my problems as "first world problems" - ie, shit ain't so bad compared to what happens to other people.

 

[Doomed2pain]

yep, good attitude to take, someone always has it worse

 

[Dave]

Sure, but your problems are still very real to you. Perspective is important, but that doesn't make the problems any less real.

Sounds like a lousy situation overall though. Here's to hoping that it's not too rough!

I'm not a big xmas person myself. What I would love would be to have a solstice celebration where I can bring together my close friends and family, have a nice meal and reminisce/commiserate over the past year. Maybe some small gifts, but probably not. Then I'd just order chinese and watch youtube in my underwear on xmas proper. :D

Since that's not going to happen this year, I'd settle for a nice dinner with the family on xmas eve, skipping out on church (never going to happen-- not with my fam), maybe a little reminiscing/commiseration, followed by sleeping in (again, not happening), few presents (again, not happening), and a quiet day without all my insane/redneck extended family (once again...).

But it's not really all that bad. Plus, a bunch of old friends are back in town for the holiday, so I'll be visiting a lot with them, maybe hosting a few small get-togethers.

 

[Doomed2pain]

ah that'll be cool to see your friends.

I prefer solstice celebrations too, but I have small child so xmas is a big deal. But not this year.

my perfect xmas would be:

waking up to lots of snow and no crps/crip sticks and pain. Open our gifts under the tree (we usually decorated on xmas eve in my house, german tradition)

have some form of chocolate based breakfast (you're never too old for a selection box) watch the usual xmas films with my boy til lunch, have a sandwich.

go out sledging, making snowman and snall ball fights with the dog

get outta wet clothes into huge fleecy comfy dressing gowns and slippers

play with new toys

watch more films

have a take out

more playing

mugs of hot chocolate around the fire and reading xmas tales,

boy in bed worn out

beer for mummy :D

but alas this is only a dream. That would be my perfect christmas though

 

[herbavore]

Dave, if you only knew how good Chinese food and watching you tube videos sounds to me! :D

Ideal Christmas past: two little boys running around making things for people and hiding them and wrapping them all wonky and ridiculous by themselves--paper snowflakes, orange juice can pencil holders, and lots and lots of drawings. They were so excited to give. Making cookies with Caleb, eating dough, baking them and then wrapping them for delivery.

Ideal Christmas this year: spending time with my mom as the guest of honor, playing lots of cards with my brother-in-law and my son and his girlfriend and keeping it all low key.

Ideal Christmas in the future: completely circumvent the whole thing by traveling to places that don't celebrate it at that time of year. It had it's place when the boys were young and I have wonderful memories from those times but it holds zero meaning for me now. I don't feel sad about that, or even miss it--it is simply not something I get excited about. I would love to find a way to afford travel as something to look forward to connected with the season.

 

[Doomed2pain]

that is lovely herb, I hope that I can make some lovely memories like that.

and i will pray that maybe you'll win some money or something so that you can go and travel :D

 

[Dave]

Herb-- it'll happen. Maybe not next year, or the year after, but someday. So many people do that these days, they really should just keep xmas as a strictly religious festival for the observant, and let the rest of us have our time off to do something fun instead of buy stuff that nobody really needs.

 

[Mariposa]

Dave, I had Chinese food for Christmas last year with my roommate and a friend of ours. Roomie and I didn't want to go through the whole family nonsense and friend had no family in town. No underwear Youtube party, though. :D Just a big family-style Chinese dinner followed by beer and whiskey. :D

What I'm doing this year:

Tonight is my household party since I am going home to California for the holidays! My housemates and I have stocked up on food and wine for an early Solstice dinner. It will be awesome.

Flying home tomorrow for a week to see my dad, aunt, uncle, stepcousins, and friends... and get this, the guest of honor is my bestie who lives in Michigan. I haven't seen him in over 5 YEARS due to monetary (both of us) and legal (his) issues. The tides have turned in our favor, FINALLY! We've got a suite reserved in downtown San Francisco at my favorite hotel for a couple nights. He's never been to SF before! I'm taking him to all the touristy usuals and my favorite hidden places. Then, on to the family stuff. We are having our usual, prime rib on the grill. It's going to be great to see everyone. I California, it's going to be tough to leave, it always is.

What would I rather be doing:

Probably being brought tropical drinks in Hawaii or the Caribbean by a studly cabana boy. But I really can't complain. I'm going home and it will be a blast. It will be 60F at home and SUNNY, a welcome change from the below-freezing temperatures and gray skies.

What would make it better:

Books, doctor bills, and life expenses cost me a bunch of money this year, so I can't give into the consumerist aspect. I suppose this is a mixed blessing. I'd love to support more local merchants and get everyone I know a present or certificate to a favorite spa/massage service, either of which would be thoughtfully selected. I absolutely slashed my living budget this season in anticipation of being a poor student. People will simply need to understand. My friend and I are writing out cards today; she's flying to Utah to see her family on Wednesday.

I'd like to have put up lights or a tree. There are so many beautifully decorated homes here. It's pretty obvious that 3 agnostics live at my house. Our cheer comes from secular sources.

I'd prefer not to be so rushed. I haven't had a lot of time to myself lately.

Together, we shall all muddle through!

 

[Ixchellian]

my perfect christmas would be just like my birthday..... a day in the middle of the summer, that everyone (including me) has forgotten about.

I'm just another homeless & jobless asshole swinging by the homestead for handouts, but this christmas would be a lot better if I had a fresh 55gal drum for a new burning-barrel/space-heater, and maybe a decent tent.

 

[cire113]

i thought this was the dark side not the bright side lol

 

[herbavore]

^ the dark side is part of the bright side and vice versa! (where's Panic in Paradise when we need him?)

@Mariposa--happy solstice! That sounds so great for you and your friend. I'm a sucker for lights myself so I made my little secular humanist tree in the front yard--blue, magenta and purple lights on a bare pear tree. If I get it together, I will make a lighted peace sign for it.

@IX--stay warm, Buddy.

 

[Doomed2pain]

i thought this was the dark side not the bright side lol

just because a lotof us have "dark" problems, it doesn't me we don't like "light" things. we're not all a bunch of goffs reading Edgar Allen Poe and wallowing in our misery

 

[Ixchellian]

^---- eh, staying "warm" needs a few qualifying conditions first.

and if we're a bunch of wanker emos, wallowing with Sylvia Plath instead?

Besides, Poe is too goth for this time of year.

8)

 

[shady4091]

My ideal Christmas: No Christmas at all.

 

[Doomed2pain]

yeh I hope you manage to find some warmth this xmas dude. lol @ the emu comment :D

^---- eh, staying "warm" needs a few qualifying conditions first.

and if we're a bunch of wanker emos, wallowing with Sylvia Plath instead?

Besides, Poe is too goth for this time of year.

8)

 

[littlepenguin]

Christmas would be better if it was forever 1989. Five years old, just getting home late from auntie's house, jump out of the car and run into the house to sit under the tree, my refuge. Dad reminds me that I need to put out cookies for Santa. Don't forget the milk. I put the cookies out and Dad lets me have one, even though I am sure I ate a king's ransom of candy at my aunt's. I put on my favourite jammies and hop into bed and try not to sleep, because I want to get one glimpse of Santa. I can see from my bed through the hallway, the lights on the tree, the crooked angel hanging off the top because the ceiling is too low, and the glorious mountain of presents that was waiting for me to tear open the next morning. I promise myself not to fall asleep....
I wake up, alas - IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!! I sit straight up and bed and put on my penguin slippers and cannonball my parents' waterbed. "GET UP!!!!!!! SANTA CAME!!!" Then, ran like a bat out of hell downstairs to wake my brother up and notify him of Santa's presence as well. I wrap myself up in a cocoon with my blankie and sit cross-legged half under the tree and cover myself with presents. Literally bury myself in them. I piled Mom's presents in her favourite chair, Dad's presents on the couch, and I left my brother's to get himself, because that's how siblings are. We spent what seemed like an eternity tearing open hundreds of fabulous gifts, and then once the unwrapping was done, I would do the backstroke in the sea of wrapping paper. I spent all day under the tree, singing carols, occasionally getting up to play the piano, playing my new Game Boy, and talking to my new teddy bear hamster who I suitably named "cat."

Oh, what's this Christmas you ask? Let's fast forward about 15 years...

Gotta go to work, because I gotta get money to buy some more drugs. Gotta make some money because, fuck, I actually have to act like I give a fuck and buy people gifts. I hate Christmas. It's a fucking rat race, commercialized, pseudo-religious crock of fucktacular bullshit. Gotta race out of work to attempt to get to my aunt's on time. Of course, I'll be late, because I'll be sitting in my room getting spun as fuck, 'just one last bowl...you're not gonna get any for a few hours....' Plaster on a shit ton of makeup and try and cover the fact that I can't keep my hands away from my face, or the rest of my body for that matter. Smoke 4 cigarettes on the way, which is oh, 11 minutes away (I have hideous social anxiety which is extremely exacerbated at family events which I now avoid at any possible cost, however, Christmas Eve at auntie's is unavoidable.) I'm sweating balls even though it's about 10 or so degrees out (fahrenheit, for those of you who are not in the good ol' US of A), I plaster on a smile and try and stop shaking for a moment. The only thing that is on my mind at this point is a bee-line to the mini bar. I need a fucking cocktail. Uncle never makes it stiff enough. But I'm only going to have one, just to take the edge off - I don't want to fuck up my euphoria. I retreat to smoke outside as often as I can so I don't get stuck too long in some sort of "Ohhhhh how are youuuuuuuuuuuu? And where is school? Are you getting good grades? Are you still working at ______? You've lost weight since Thanksgiving...." and I know that's gonna be talked about behind my back: "is she okay? anorexia again?" Everybody's a fucking gossip. Mind your own god damn business.
I pretend to eat my food, a delicious homemade lasagna that I used to look forward to, and now I am constructing a lasagna condo on my plate, trying to make it look like I considered eating something. Fuck, I can not wait to go home and smoke a bowl...

I wish it was 1989. Forever.

 

[Doomed2pain]

oh sugar, I have ptsd and [anic disorder, agorphobia and severe adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression. and I am bed bound from the stupid winter sending me into a pain flare. I had to save all year for my boy's xmas and birthday. and now I can't even see him over xmas I am that unwell this time.

i am *hopefully* going to my dad's on boxing day, if i am feeling well enough to actually be carried to the car, then maybe have couple friends come see me on boxing day night.

that's my xmas, so i kinda know what you're going through, i am on that many meds it is untrue yet i still get panic attacks about having panic attacks, panic around my family for no good reason, working is out of the question for me for life but i couldn't deal with a job now my mind would explode.

i hope you managed to find a little hope during the christmas holidays.

Christmas would be better if it was forever 1989. Five years old, just getting home late from auntie's house, jump out of the car and run into the house to sit under the tree, my refuge. Dad reminds me that I need to put out cookies for Santa. Don't forget the milk. I put the cookies out and Dad lets me have one, even though I am sure I ate a king's ransom of candy at my aunt's. I put on my favourite jammies and hop into bed and try not to sleep, because I want to get one glimpse of Santa. I can see from my bed through the hallway, the lights on the tree, the crooked angel hanging off the top because the ceiling is too low, and the glorious mountain of presents that was waiting for me to tear open the next morning. I promise myself not to fall asleep....
I wake up, alas - IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!! I sit straight up and bed and put on my penguin slippers and cannonball my parents' waterbed. "GET UP!!!!!!! SANTA CAME!!!" Then, ran like a bat out of hell downstairs to wake my brother up and notify him of Santa's presence as well. I wrap myself up in a cocoon with my blankie and sit cross-legged half under the tree and cover myself with presents. Literally bury myself in them. I piled Mom's presents in her favourite chair, Dad's presents on the couch, and I left my brother's to get himself, because that's how siblings are. We spent what seemed like an eternity tearing open hundreds of fabulous gifts, and then once the unwrapping was done, I would do the backstroke in the sea of wrapping paper. I spent all day under the tree, singing carols, occasionally getting up to play the piano, playing my new Game Boy, and talking to my new teddy bear hamster who I suitably named "cat."

Oh, what's this Christmas you ask? Let's fast forward about 15 years...

Gotta go to work, because I gotta get money to buy some more drugs. Gotta make some money because, fuck, I actually have to act like I give a fuck and buy people gifts. I hate Christmas. It's a fucking rat race, commercialized, pseudo-religious crock of fucktacular bullshit. Gotta race out of work to attempt to get to my aunt's on time. Of course, I'll be late, because I'll be sitting in my room getting spun as fuck, 'just one last bowl...you're not gonna get any for a few hours....' Plaster on a shit ton of makeup and try and cover the fact that I can't keep my hands away from my face, or the rest of my body for that matter. Smoke 4 cigarettes on the way, which is oh, 11 minutes away (I have hideous social anxiety which is extremely exacerbated at family events which I now avoid at any possible cost, however, Christmas Eve at auntie's is unavoidable.) I'm sweating balls even though it's about 10 or so degrees out (fahrenheit, for those of you who are not in the good ol' US of A), I plaster on a smile and try and stop shaking for a moment. The only thing that is on my mind at this point is a bee-line to the mini bar. I need a fucking cocktail. Uncle never makes it stiff enough. But I'm only going to have one, just to take the edge off - I don't want to fuck up my euphoria. I retreat to smoke outside as often as I can so I don't get stuck too long in some sort of "Ohhhhh how are youuuuuuuuuuuu? And where is school? Are you getting good grades? Are you still working at ______? You've lost weight since Thanksgiving...." and I know that's gonna be talked about behind my back: "is she okay? anorexia again?" Everybody's a fucking gossip. Mind your own god damn business.
I pretend to eat my food, a delicious homemade lasagna that I used to look forward to, and now I am constructing a lasagna condo on my plate, trying to make it look like I considered eating something. Fuck, I can not wait to go home and smoke a bowl...

I wish it was 1989. Forever.