I bitch and I moan

[fatesfolly]

and I complain about children and the pain in the neck I imagine them to be but in the absence of family, I think I'm going to have to get used to lonely Christmases.



Lee just called with more bad news. The person who usually does the evening shift has all next week off. What does this mean for Lee? He'll be subbing for him on the 4 to midnight shift all week, including Christmas Eve.

Well, for a couple with no children, that means it's Christmas Eve minus one. And what fun is Christmas Eve by yourself? We usually go to his parents house and suffer through their Christmas Eve party with their tee-totalling Baptist friends, but hell's angels will not make me go there alone.

Then the kicker comes... he doesn't have to work the night of New Year's Eve, but he'll need to go in on New Year's Day by 4pm. And what time does he get off on New Year's Eve? 7 fucking pm. He's promised me ALL FUCKING YEAR that we'd do something for New Year's this year. Five years of doing NOTHING has made me stir crazy and this year, we were going to Wilmington and doing the dinner/dance/party/celebration thing at a hotel there. We were going to spend the whole weekend there. Wilmington is a good 1.5 hours away and he's an hour away from me. If he gets off at 7, he'll have to drive home, get here by 8, we'll drive to Wilmington and arrive by 9:30, missing dinner, tired and cranky, and then just have to turn around again and drive home by 1 the next day so he can get to work by 4. All this is DRIVING me crazy!

Calgon! Take me away!

Comments

[archway.livejournal.com]

You are more than welcome to come here for Xmas Eve. I am going to be cooking, watching DVDs, dancing in the kitchen to fun music and then going to a friend's house for supper. You are more than welcome to join me in any and all of the festivities. Her house is boistrous and friendly chaotic. We can come and go as we wish. The invitation is here if you wish it.

Lonely holidays

[free-of-whip.livejournal.com]

When I got divorced, one or our agreements was that my ex got the children for the holidays that were celebrated with family. The reason was that he celebrated those holidays with his extended family, and the kids should be allowed to maintain contact with those people. However, this meant that I had no one to celebrate with.

What I learned to do early was to do something special--but totally unrelated to my prior ways of celebrating the holidays--on those days. For example, I would rent a cabin in the woods for the weekend. Or I'd do volunteer work. (I gave manicures to people living in a nursing home, conducted seders for developmentally disabled adults, and worked in a shelter for the homeless, among other things.) Or I'd just take the opportunity to go to the theater--something I had not been able to do often while married because my ex was hard of hearing. Having something I enjoyed, but that didn't remind me of the holidays I'd spent with family, tended to keep me active and happy.

Don't know if that will help, but thought I'd pass it along FWIW.

holidays

[msruth.livejournal.com]

I did the same thing for years, free. I volunteered at soup kitchens and homeless shelters and then would take in a movie on Christmas day. While I was married, my partner worked all holi/holy days. Being single for a long time gave me flexibility to visit friends for an hour or so but I mostly found it time to contemplate and regain balance within myself.

I appreciate others love to celebrate but it doesn't come naturally with me during the Christmas/New Year season.

[liatha.livejournal.com]

Hiya... just added you... was nice meeting you last night