Christmas Blues.

[oldherbaceous]

I know Christmas is meant to be a happy time, but i must admit i always feel a little low at this time of year.
It's mainly to do with all my old drinking mates that are now resting in the Churchyard.
Even when i was a young lad i loved to go and have a pint with the old boys, there was some real charaters among them, but sadly nearly all of them have past away. We always used to have a right old laugh this time of the year.
When i go and wind the Church clock up tomorrow i will wish them all a merry Christmas.
Hope i have not depressed everyone.

Does anyone else get low at Christmas.

So saying all that, i can't wait for my Christmas dinner.

[seedling]

Dont be sad OH. The fact that you miss your friends shows how lucky you were to have known them. This time of year gives me mixed feelings too. You miss the people who are no longer around and have mixed feelings about the relatives etc which you have to spend time with over Christmas. some you get on with and some you dont
My Grandma died this November and its strange cos i`ll miss her annoying me at Christmas - its become a tradition. Change is difficult but I too am looking forward to Christmas dinner, nice wine etc
Heres hoping everyone has the best Christmas they can this year, and if you dont enjoy Christmas just remember it will all be over in a few days and then we can start sowing seeds again and looking forward to lighter, brighter days...Heaven
Seedling

[jopsy]

herby i like xmas; but i miss my family as they are all up north
im sure wherever you go you make friends!
enjoy
hugs me-back in normal clothing now!

[lizzie]

I always feel low at Christmas time. Christmas is the last memories I have of my dad before he fell into a coma a few days after Christmas and then died on 9/1/89. I know it was 18 years ago this January but I still miss him like mad.

Plus, i'm starting to dread Christmas more and more as I get older. I've already decided that I won't be sending cards next year. I'll send e ones but no paper ones again. Then the plain, unadulterated greed that I see around me gets me mad. Next year, people are going to be given ethical presents. Things like a goat, chickens, water system, buckets or medical supplies for a village in Africa. Educational equipment, things like that.

It makes me sad seeing the "me" culture all around me, the lack of manners and people whos only belief is in money and material gain.

Right, rant over, now it's time to partyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[richard p]

i do wonder why "we " get so excited about it, our family isnt religous ,anyway the whole of the modern bible is a third or forth level translation all done by peopl, who had a vested interest in the final product and were translating for a population who in gereral were illiterate , and nothing was actually written down till 2 or 3 centuries after the alleged events. which leaves us with a commercialised event where we buy presents for the children which they dont need, and an excuse to have a few days off work to over eat, drink too much and fall out with the relatives who we wouldnt bother seeing otherwise.
sometimes i think it would be a lot simpler to dissapeer on a months holiday somewhere warm from mid december til mid jan

[Compo]

I can echo what you say OH, I count myself lucky, this year, the day after I went into hospital to hospital with my 'alleged' heart problem, a dear colleague lost her brave fight with cancer.

Here's to absent friends

[lizzie]

Hear hear Compo.

Absent friends. Cheers

**** Lizzie chinks glasses with Compo*******

[DahlisMarie]

So interesting to read these posts.
Like others I too have mixed feelings about Christmas. No, not mixed feelings really - if I had my way I would cancel it.
My enjoyment comes from seeing the enjoyment of children/grandchildren. And I am happy for those who derive enjoyment from family get togethers etc.

Me, I feel like Scrooge, and am haunted by the ghosts of Christmas's past. I think Christmas is a time for memories of those no longer sharing our lives and honouring their memory with thoughts about them or raising a glass (or two) to them.

And then, when I think about the alternative I am happy to have as many future Christmases as I can get

[Jenny Green]

I quite enjoy Christmas but I prefer to think of it in gardening terms. It's just after the days start to get longer again and although we have a long time to wait for the spring at least after Christmas we've turned the corner.
I think I suffer from SAD a little so try to get outside to help with that, then sometimes start sowing things ridiculously early as this gives me things to look forward to.
It is very commercialised it's true but it only has to be what you make of it. I've organised things so I hopefully won't have to brave the roads or the shops for the next few days and so will miss the madness. I purposely only invite those people I like to be around and try to enjoy myself.
The religious aspect means nothing to me and I think of it more as a pagan festival, which is what it originally was, I think.
I'm very lucky in that I don't yet miss anyone at Christmas time though the way it looks I may not be in the same position next year.

[Tigger]

Hmmnnnn. We do a course per house around our hamlet. Good for those of us who don't have any children and even better for those of us who can't be bothered!

I will sow my onions and banana shallotts on Boxing Day as per JB's advice.

[Chantal]

I always get sad on Christmas Eve and the tears are never far away because I think of my dad so much. He grew up in Germany during the war and having been conscripted into the army in 1944 aged 17, he was taken prisoner by the Russians within 2 weeks and spent the next 5 years in Siberia. Because of this he had a huge passion for living life to the full and went mad at Christmas; he seemed to by trying to make up for the time he'd lost. Not with loads of presents but the whole thing, he was as excited as us kids. He'd bring a real tree in on Christmas Eve and decorate it lametta and candles (how it never caught fire I don't know) and then burn pine branches on the fire so that it smelt nice. All the family would get together on Christmas Eve for a meal and then we'd open all our presents later in the evening. It was magical. He died in 1979 but on Christmas Eve I miss him so much and Christmas has never been the same since then.

As has been said; here's to absent friends.

[Tigger]

I always go to Midnight Mass as my Dad's birthday was Christmas Eve. He was born on Dec 24th 1918 and I like to tell him what I have acheived this year and what I hope to do in the future.
As an Irishman, he had strong opinions. Nevertheless, he also believed he had a strong opinion of the new integrated world.

[peter]

OH, I feel very down this Christmas as it is the first one without my beloved sister.

[Chantal]

Perhaps it'll help all of us telling our tales on here; I feel better for sharing things and knowing it's not just me feeling sad.

[Tigger]

Peter - I hope you will tell her what she has has missed and what you know despite her absence.

That's how we'll all feel.