re: What’s your favorite thing about Christmas time now that you’re older?

quote:

---

Meh.... my kids are grown, Christmas for me is basically additional stress of who, what, and how much money to spend. Really has no sentimental meaning for me anymore.

---

That sucks...

I still love Christmas. I listen to nothing but Christmas music in the car between Thanksgiving and the 26th, enjoy going to parties, etc.

That said, this year has been more difficult. Some family health issues and more going on at work have caused me to lose a bit of my joy.

I hope you are able to have a great one, regardless of the stresses.

Christmas giner

The time off work

6 years ago...the Christmas magic died. First, my wife left, and I had 2 little, Little babies, one an infant, that I had no clue how to deal with. Then my brother died. I lost my job...the world fell apart.

At Christmas, when before I had felt such joy...now I felt only bitterness, loss, a hole where the magic should have been.

Sometimes i’d Put up a tree. Half-heartedly decorate it, the “our first Christmas” ornament mocking me, and my brother’s ornaments tearing my heart open. There was an emptiness, a hollowness in my soul where love once bloomed. And I thought i’d Never get it back. I thought Christmas evermore would be this soulless consumer holiday where i couldn’t wait for it to be over. One where I’d have to tell my kids goodbye and send them with their mother before Santa came.




And then...this year, Christmas magic happened. Something wholly unexpected blossomed. Something 6 months ago i’d Have told you was impossible.

Now, my house is warm and tidy and festive, decorated. We make Christmas cookies, read Christmas stories by the tree. The lights are up, the carols ring through the house. Presents under the tree. The smells of apples and spice and spruce redolent in the air.

Seeing the kids so happy, so excited, counting down the days, opening the advent calendar. My baby girl made me this gift and wrapped it last night, it was so precious. We go and see Christmas lights, and the full joy of the season wells up within me.

And Christmas morning...I think magic might happen. I think some Christmas wishes might come true.

So fellas who have lost a lot, who maybe think that the magic is dead...sometimes you just need to find the right someone to bring it back.

January

Gallery walk.

First Friday of December.

Man, I think everything from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is an absolute blast. But once you hit like December 10th, it just goes so fast. I love everything about the holidays. The meals, hanging out with family and friends, the weather, hunting, the lights and decorations, Christmas music, the anticipation, basically 10 days off of work for me once we hit Christmas week, the feeling of being at my parents house a few days before Christmas. But especially just getting together with everybody. I have a huge family, most of whom are great cooks. So getting to hang out with them and do the holidays I just love it.

It’s one of the few times a year I have all my siblings together under the same roof. My dad has been fighting cancer the past few years and the past few months have hit him very hard. So this now I’m cherishing each time I see him because we don’t know how many more holidays we have left.

Good for you!


I like being off for a week and virtually everybody else being off too so the work doesn't pile up as much.

I don't have kids but I remember a while back being somewhere with a Santa and as I walked by there was this little girl way back in the line who could not stand still she was so excited at the prospect of meeting the fat man. I still remember that, don't remember ever being that excited about anything.

Sometimes even 5 year olds get cynical and start expecting things but this little girl had none of that.