I harbor every same feeling of dread as you Miranda, Christmas is the only time of year where I literally want to hide away until it’s all over. Too often it is a time when every ghost of Christmas’s past drops by to reinstall the memories we manage to contain for every other day of the year, just the thought makes me want to cry.
But this year, for the first time in so many I cannot remember, there will be just the three of us, my daughter cannot be here and because she will be much missed by us all and the day holds no excitement for anyone, we are having a chilled, slow day. Like you say, an extra Sunday.
I hear you, Susie. A couple of years ago, I spent Christmas alone. My partner got stuck up north when she caught Covid while on her pre-Christmas family visit. And I blatantly lied to anyone who asked (friends and family alike) in case they insisted I spent the day with them. It was a bit sad but it kind of got me past a lot of my anxieties about the season. The world didn't end. I took the dog for a long walk. Had homemade curry. Read a lot. Spoke to my partner a lot. Then had an early night. I think it loosened a lot of the persistent expectations I still have about it all.
I hope you enjoy your extra Sunday. I'll raise a glass to you and think of you on your hill. xx
That would be my perfect Christmas Melinda, if I had any choice at all I would pack a picnic lunch and just walk... returning only when I could walk no more, curl up in front of the fire with a good book and a warm blanket and maybe a hot toddy!
If I succeed in just half of that I will be happy enough though and raise my glass to you too... xx
You captured my feelings about Christmas so well. For years now, my husband and I have enjoyed low-key holidays. Just us with our cats. If the weather is favorable, maybe we can ride our bikes at a nearby wildlife refuge. Our family members are far-flung, at least hundreds of miles away, so it's quiet for us. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
That sounds perfect, Marie. It took us a few years to get to the point of accepting our own minimal needs at this time of year. We wasted plenty of years trying to meet other people's needs. Although my partner usually spends a week or so with her family prior to Christmas to assuage her own guilt. I just accept the guilt!
It can be such an overwhelming time of year, can’t it? All those ghosts of Christmas past. Hope you have a relaxing, restorative and happy Christmas Miranda xx
I'm late to reading this, but it 100% struck a chord with me. Now that Christmas is over I feel an unexpected lightness. I have come to associate the season with a sense of panic and claustrophobia. Beautiful words as ever Miranda.
I harbor every same feeling of dread as you Miranda, Christmas is the only time of year where I literally want to hide away until it’s all over. Too often it is a time when every ghost of Christmas’s past drops by to reinstall the memories we manage to contain for every other day of the year, just the thought makes me want to cry.
But this year, for the first time in so many I cannot remember, there will be just the three of us, my daughter cannot be here and because she will be much missed by us all and the day holds no excitement for anyone, we are having a chilled, slow day. Like you say, an extra Sunday.
I hope yours is just as you hope x
I hear you, Susie. A couple of years ago, I spent Christmas alone. My partner got stuck up north when she caught Covid while on her pre-Christmas family visit. And I blatantly lied to anyone who asked (friends and family alike) in case they insisted I spent the day with them. It was a bit sad but it kind of got me past a lot of my anxieties about the season. The world didn't end. I took the dog for a long walk. Had homemade curry. Read a lot. Spoke to my partner a lot. Then had an early night. I think it loosened a lot of the persistent expectations I still have about it all.
I hope you enjoy your extra Sunday. I'll raise a glass to you and think of you on your hill. xx
That would be my perfect Christmas Melinda, if I had any choice at all I would pack a picnic lunch and just walk... returning only when I could walk no more, curl up in front of the fire with a good book and a warm blanket and maybe a hot toddy!
If I succeed in just half of that I will be happy enough though and raise my glass to you too... xx
You captured my feelings about Christmas so well. For years now, my husband and I have enjoyed low-key holidays. Just us with our cats. If the weather is favorable, maybe we can ride our bikes at a nearby wildlife refuge. Our family members are far-flung, at least hundreds of miles away, so it's quiet for us. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
That sounds perfect, Marie. It took us a few years to get to the point of accepting our own minimal needs at this time of year. We wasted plenty of years trying to meet other people's needs. Although my partner usually spends a week or so with her family prior to Christmas to assuage her own guilt. I just accept the guilt!
It can be such an overwhelming time of year, can’t it? All those ghosts of Christmas past. Hope you have a relaxing, restorative and happy Christmas Miranda xx
You too, Nanette! Have a lovely and pencil-filled break. xx
I'm late to reading this, but it 100% struck a chord with me. Now that Christmas is over I feel an unexpected lightness. I have come to associate the season with a sense of panic and claustrophobia. Beautiful words as ever Miranda.