When did you last enjoy Christmas day ?

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Triple Bogey

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After another dismal Christmas day, I thought back to when I actually enjoyed myself on December 25th. The answer is 15 years ago, the year 2000. My brother had invited me on a 4 day holiday to this cottage . It was basically 2 families and me. Both couples weren't exactly getting on great but the day itself was enjoyable. Lots of laughter, smiling, young children unwrapping presents, all of us sitting round eating turkey and drinking wine and champagne. It was nice and I enjoyed myself.

Since then just like today, Christmas day is always a dismal, miserable day with nothing much to do. My Dad just doesn't celebrate Christmas, he treats it like a normal day. So after exchanging presents which took a minute he just sat in front of the TV watching rubbish. So all I could do was read my book or waste time on my pc looking on facebook. (Which was full of everybody having a great time !)

In the afternoon I went to see my Mam. I have done this all my life. She insist I go. She is always in a terrible, terrible mood on xmas day. Really miserable, bitter, spouting nasty stuff about everybody and everything. Saying stuff about my Dad, real horrible, nasty stuff, saying she wished she hadn't met him etc. Today was especially horrible and I wanted to go after 5 minutes.

When I got home I watched a DVD with my Dad (Mission Impossible 5) which was okay. Now it's time to go to bed. And it's work tomorrow.

So crap really and that's why I don't ever look forward to Christmas day. The lead up was good, the Christmas night out at work, working Christmas eve but the day itself ? Just horrible.

So does anybody relate to this ?
Anybody not enjoyed today ?
 
I was a little boy last time I enjoyed it. I spent today alone. No presents, no cards, nothing. I spent it hating myself and thinking about suicide.
 
I think like 3 yrs ago. It was with my ex and he literally had the picture perfect family. 2 sisters, an amazing dad and mom and we all played games and ate food and my daughter had a great time. I wish I had a family like that, they're all so close and love each other. This christmas I didn't spend with my family because my family is honeysuckle, I spent it with my Muslim bf who doesn't celebrate and I was looking forward to my daughter waking up exited to unwrap her presents, but no... she woke up and puked all over his bed. I had to wash all his blankets and sheets and because she was sick she didn't really have much enthusiasm and opened her presents with a sad look on her face. I got a few smiles out of her, but thats it. I had activities planned for the whole day and now I'm sitting here doing nothing while she sleeps and my bf watches tv with his brother. :( "merry" christmas.
 
cumulus.james said:
I was a little boy last time I enjoyed it. I spent today alone. No presents, no cards, nothing. I spent it hating myself and thinking about suicide.

Me too. :(
 
I was 7 or 8. There was nothing particularly special about it that year, I was just extra excited.

I enjoy the lead up to Christmas a lot better than Christmas Day itself, which has always been a bit disappointing and stressful and sobering.
 
in 2007 for the first time I had Christmas with a group in the countryside without my family, it was GREAT and since then I love Christmas, before I hated it with all my heart, even as a child
- it's better when spent in company, though


lonewulf said:
cumulus.james said:
I was a little boy last time I enjoyed it. I spent today alone. No presents, no cards, nothing. I spent it hating myself and thinking about suicide.

Me too. :(
sorry about that :( not sure if fighting with an old lady AND hating yourself and thinking about suicide is any better


Triple Bogey said:
So does anybody relate to this ?
Anybody not enjoyed today ?

Last year I spent Christmas with my mother, something we hadn't done since I was 10. She forgot to get me a present and walked out on the dinner to do "some errands" (what errands can you do on Christmas eve?!). She apologised to death and promised that the next year would be better.
This year, she went for a 10 km walk for no reason, arrived to the nice dinner I had prepared (bought) and the movies with the projector completely wasted, saying only completely disconnected thoughts which not only bothers me but makes me worry to death because it looks like dementia (she does not have dementia, she only doesn't like to have nice memories).
Christmas morning, as soon as we talk too nicely, she starts bringing up a number of things that I have to do (next week!) one after the other, I tell her "stop doing that" after the 5th one I get really upset and that's the end of it. We still watch a movie. Honestly, this is not how I want to waste my life. I did try and see if there was a charity lunch we could have volunteered at but it wasn't possible. I feel bad because she is old and has no one, but it's also clear *why* she has no one and her company brings me down so much, but the guilt eats me. I managed to not feel guilty before because traditionally I'd spend the holidays with my other relatives in another town (and she would spend hers with her brother, who passed away ten years ago, and her ex-husband, god knows why), but in the last years we got to fight a bit less and stopped going to the other relatives, so I need a good excuse really to not be with her. If I am alive next year, I think I will take a trip to Asia or something.
 
20 yrs ago ...It was my dads last Christmas , he was terminally ill
Everyone left their BS at the door that year
 
I am going to go with over 25 years ago when I was 17 or so. My family was all in the house and we had just a regular xmas.

Now, it is miserable.

Just to make you all feel better. I went over my brother's place with a little kid and, it was still miserable.

- they don't want me there and that is obvious. Pity invite.
- I would prefer to get no gift at all rather than a crap gift, bath oil and a sponge.
- my SIL likes to enforce her rules on my nephew by using me as an excuse making me the bad guy.
- my SIL's mom can't help talking about my parents (who are dead) in a bad way -- but she doesn't think it is.
 
I really can't complain but I seem to enjoy the quiet alone time I get on this day for the past years and now, I seem to enjoy the company of others too, this time round. It's different this year, definitely not what I expected to do seeing that I have been mostly anti-social this year. Something's changed.
 
Since we're basically heretics here, I'm gonna look at Christmas Eve instead since that's when we celebrate and unwrap the presents...and I'm gonna say I enjoyed it this year. Nothing fancy, we actually spent it at my grandparents' place for the first time in 20 years or so and it went swell. Also everyone was really pleased with me being quite receptive for no good reason. Other than three beers of course.

And for the record, Christmas Day was fine too. Fancy meal, watching movies and series all day long...nothing to be pissed about.
 
LonelySutton said:
I am going to go with over 25 years ago when I was 17 or so. My family was all in the house and we had just a regular xmas.

Now, it is miserable.

Just to make you all feel better. I went over my brother's place with a little kid and, it was still miserable.

- they don't want me there and that is obvious. Pity invite.
- I would prefer to get no gift at all rather than a crap gift, bath oil and a sponge.
- my SIL likes to enforce her rules on my nephew by using me as an excuse making me the bad guy.
- my SIL's mom can't help talking about my parents (who are dead) in a bad way -- but she doesn't think it is.

Sounds so much like my clan....hence I minimize my contact with them, and absolutely never on any 'festival' occasion.

Think positive....next year will be better.
 
Peaches said:
in 2007 for the first time I had Christmas with a group in the countryside without my family, it was GREAT and since then I love Christmas, before I hated it with all my heart, even as a child
- it's better when spent in company, though


lonewulf said:
cumulus.james said:
I was a little boy last time I enjoyed it. I spent today alone. No presents, no cards, nothing. I spent it hating myself and thinking about suicide.

Me too. :(
sorry about that :( not sure if fighting with an old lady AND hating yourself and thinking about suicide is any better


Triple Bogey said:
So does anybody relate to this ?
Anybody not enjoyed today ?

Last year I spent Christmas with my mother, something we hadn't done since I was 10. She forgot to get me a present and walked out on the dinner to do "some errands" (what errands can you do on Christmas eve?!). She apologised to death and promised that the next year would be better.
This year, she went for a 10 km walk for no reason, arrived to the nice dinner I had prepared (bought) and the movies with the projector completely wasted, saying only completely disconnected thoughts which not only bothers me but makes me worry to death because it looks like dementia (she does not have dementia, she only doesn't like to have nice memories).
Christmas morning, as soon as we talk too nicely, she starts bringing up a number of things that I have to do (next week!) one after the other, I tell her "stop doing that" after the 5th one I get really upset and that's the end of it. We still watch a movie. Honestly, this is not how I want to waste my life. I did try and see if there was a charity lunch we could have volunteered at but it wasn't possible. I feel bad because she is old and has no one, but it's also clear *why* she has no one and her company brings me down so much, but the guilt eats me. I managed to not feel guilty before because traditionally I'd spend the holidays with my other relatives in another town (and she would spend hers with her brother, who passed away ten years ago, and her ex-husband, god knows why), but in the last years we got to fight a bit less and stopped going to the other relatives, so I need a good excuse really to not be with her. If I am alive next year, I think I will take a trip to Asia or something.




My Mother would be upset if I didn't go and see her on Christmas day. I have done all my life. But she made no effort to be cheerful and was downright nasty. She also made up honeysuckle about somebody trying to break into her house. I would feel guilty not going to see her though.

For me Christmas day is the most boring day of the year.
No work, no golf (it's closed), no chance of going on a photo trip, no football on TV, can't walk in the park (closed), can't look round the shops (all closed)

Just a boring day and we spend 2 months building up to it. Crazy !
 
Triple Bogey said:
For me Christmas day is the most boring day of the year.
No work, no golf (it's closed), no chance of going on a photo trip, no football on TV, can't walk in the park (closed), can't look round the shops (all closed)

Just a boring day and we spend 2 months building up to it. Crazy !

Now that you mention it, Christmas Day is a bit boring lol. It's probably not boring for kids who know they're getting a bunch of presents - but for adults? Meh.
I have a relative who manages a movie theater and he said Christmas day is the busiest day of the year in his theater. All the bored adults who are desperate to get out of the house go to the movies, I guess.
I'm always grateful for businesses that stay open on Christmas. This year, we went to a Chinese buffet down the street for dinner instead of cooking a big meal. I left the waiter a big tip.
Last year, I took my daughter to a city park in the afternoon. It was a sunny (but chilly) day and the park was packed. It was nice to get out and see other people instead of being cooped up at home with nothing to do.
For me, most of the fun of Christmas is in the month leading up to it. It's a great excuse to bake lots of cookies and eat Christmas-themed junk food (tree-shaped Reese's peanut butter cups!), I get to play Christmas carols on my violin and have magical-looking, twinkly lights on a tree in my living room and I take my daughter to see The Nutcracker ballet. So once the actual Day gets here, I'm pretty much done with Christmas.

-Teresa
 
SofiasMami said:
Triple Bogey said:
For me Christmas day is the most boring day of the year.
No work, no golf (it's closed), no chance of going on a photo trip, no football on TV, can't walk in the park (closed), can't look round the shops (all closed)

Just a boring day and we spend 2 months building up to it. Crazy !

Now that you mention it, Christmas Day is a bit boring lol. It's probably not boring for kids who know they're getting a bunch of presents - but for adults? Meh.
I have a relative who manages a movie theater and he said Christmas day is the busiest day of the year in his theater. All the bored adults who are desperate to get out of the house go to the movies, I guess.
I'm always grateful for businesses that stay open on Christmas. This year, we went to a Chinese buffet down the street for dinner instead of cooking a big meal. I left the waiter a big tip.
Last year, I took my daughter to a city park in the afternoon. It was a sunny (but chilly) day and the park was packed. It was nice to get out and see other people instead of being cooped up at home with nothing to do.
For me, most of the fun of Christmas is in the month leading up to it. It's a great excuse to bake lots of cookies and eat Christmas-themed junk food (tree-shaped Reese's peanut butter cups!), I get to play Christmas carols on my violin and have magical-looking, twinkly lights on a tree in my living room and I take my daughter to see The Nutcracker ballet. So once the actual Day gets here, I'm pretty much done with Christmas.

-Teresa

Over here everything is closed. Cinema's, shops, parks, literally nothing to do. At least yesterday I went to a football match and today I am playing golf.
 

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