Hello everyone. I thought I'd start a thread about how we manage to 'get through' Christmas. Although there are those who enjoy Christmas and can't wait until that time of year, there are people who find Christmas difficult. How do we cope with the stresses of Christmas?
I find shopping in malls very overwhelming, never mind the crowds at Christmas. I do all my shopping by the end of November to avoid the crowds. I also give money and gift cards to some, and order what I can on line.
I send Christmas cards to a select few. I like to write a little personal note in them so I make sure they're done in the first week in December.
I particularly dislike Christmas parties, especially work related. I still have one a year with some girls from one of my old jobs to go to. We have remained friends over the years. I enjoy these girls but do much better with one on one. I go to the party early and leave early. I either drive myself or go with someone who I know will be leaving the party early. There's always a few with kids that need to get home.
Trying not to gain weight at Christmas is a challenge. I have been brought up to eat everything on my plate. I worry about offending the cook if I don't eat 'enough'. I also have a weakness for chocolates! Needless to say I gain weight every year at Christmas. People joke about weight gain at Christmas, but I don't think it's funny at all.
Family... I could devote a whole chapter about family. There are very few who don't come from a dysfunctional family, at least to some degree. I am the 'black sheep' in our family. Even though I have a family full of health professionals, only one of them acknowledges and understands mental illness. It's sad really. They don't understand why I'm no longer working, they identify themselves by the work they do. There is a history from the past that still haunts me. Even with all that, there are family members I do like to see. Unfortunately they come as a package.
I find shopping in malls very overwhelming, never mind the crowds at Christmas. I do all my shopping by the end of November to avoid the crowds. I also give money and gift cards to some, and order what I can on line.
I send Christmas cards to a select few. I like to write a little personal note in them so I make sure they're done in the first week in December.
I particularly dislike Christmas parties, especially work related. I still have one a year with some girls from one of my old jobs to go to. We have remained friends over the years. I enjoy these girls but do much better with one on one. I go to the party early and leave early. I either drive myself or go with someone who I know will be leaving the party early. There's always a few with kids that need to get home.
Trying not to gain weight at Christmas is a challenge. I have been brought up to eat everything on my plate. I worry about offending the cook if I don't eat 'enough'. I also have a weakness for chocolates! Needless to say I gain weight every year at Christmas. People joke about weight gain at Christmas, but I don't think it's funny at all.
Family... I could devote a whole chapter about family. There are very few who don't come from a dysfunctional family, at least to some degree. I am the 'black sheep' in our family. Even though I have a family full of health professionals, only one of them acknowledges and understands mental illness. It's sad really. They don't understand why I'm no longer working, they identify themselves by the work they do. There is a history from the past that still haunts me. Even with all that, there are family members I do like to see. Unfortunately they come as a package.
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). I do not refuse unexpected gifts; I did that once and it didn't turn out well. I do not give expensive gifts, nor do I request them (I tell people early on). I do not shop at peak hours if at all avoidable, or when the pension/child tax credit cheques have just come out 
. I do not send cards every year but when I want to, I enjoy it. I do not look at a Sears catalogue any more, because it can be a slippery slope. I do not try and do everything in one day, or even one week. I do not donate to every charity that asks, just to those I choose. I do not - or at least try not to - kick myself because I am not doing enough for Christmas. The other guy's version of *enough* and my version are not usually the same; it's not a competition.
. I go to church on Christmas Eve, although I don't go much otherwise. It holds meaning for me, and I'm sometimes surprised when certain "non-religious" people are pleased to join me. I participate in the whole turkey-meal, family-gathering, over-gifting, fancy-decorating traditions whether I feel like it or not. In the big picture it's more than worth it, and I usually have fun once my anxiety has calmed down. Some years it has taken all my gumption to get myself involved, and other years it's relatively easy. It helps when I remember that Christmas is not all about the 24 hours called December 25th, it's about certain moments throughout the season that become precious memories, and about my faith.
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