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Already half done with Christmas shopping

Posted: Nov 27, 2011

Oldest son - check

Youngest son - check

Daughter-in-law-to-be - check

Brother - just have to order it....he is so hard to buy for.

Mom - not quite sure yet but I think I know, so that's settled....almost....lol

All i have yet to get is stocking stuffers, and I've already picked up several of those. I missed last Christmas (and Thanksgiving, and my birthday, and almost New Year's Day) due to being in the hospital, so I'm getting excited about this Christmas. I hung new drapes last week, so the living room looks much better. I just have to get the rest of the flooring down in one of the bedrooms so I can move all the stuff back in it and I'll get my tree up. Then it's on to holiday cooking and other festivities. I soooo love Christmas.

;

To Old Woman - Christine

[ In Reply To ..]
You are almost finished, and I have not even started! I am glad you are feeling better this year and getting excited about Christmas! It truly is a beautiful time of year.

I sooooo loath Christmas - Can it be cancelled?

[ In Reply To ..]
First I have to say I'm glad you are feeling better. Nothing worse then being sick and missing the holidays.

I absolutely loath Christmas and Thanksgiving is when I start getting mildly depressed, which then escalates up until Christmas. It's a depression that I keep to myself, as the last time I spoke with DH he was, lets just call it not very thrilled, with me. I like to work so I can forget it's Christmas (to some degree). I do not live near family, so there are no gatherings. We never had children no matter how hard we tried for 20+ years until I had an ectopic and had my ovaries removed with no hope for a child in the future, so as much as I love seeing little children at Christmas time it's just one more of my life's struggles to know that I'm just one of the ones our Lord doesn't not love as much as others. I've come to deal with it no matter how hard, but still hurts, but that's life. Guess I must have been a horrible person in a past life and this is my punishment. Anyway, sorry didn't mean to go off on a tangent, but Christmas just really escalates the loneliness and sadness I feel and just wish the season would never be. I do have to say I love seeing homes decorated in lights when we go out.

For my nieces and nephews we send them checks. For my dad and mom I sent a box of candy. We don't exchange with anyone else mostly because half my family is out of work and they need to spend what little money they have on their children, which is totally fine with us. I get even more depressed opening mom & dad's gifts here just DH and me. Just very sad and I'm absolutely thrilled around the 28th knowing just another year before I have to go through this again.

But I do have my cats and they give me a lot of happiness so that helps get through the depression.

For the people that enjoy the season I'm happy for you and hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

I like it a lot more, now that I finally got off that - insane Christmas gift merry-go-round.

[ In Reply To ..]
Now I just enjoy the season for what it is. In addition to looking forward to January 2nd, when life (and the stores) get back to norml again.

Me, too. We were just giving the same $50 back and forth - to each other. Stopped that, and SM

[ In Reply To ..]
now we get together eat, play board games, WII, and laugh a lot.

Aha! Another one sees the light! And doesn't it - feel GREAT to be off that treadmill?

[ In Reply To ..]

I know you're not asking for advice, but... - Trampled underfoot

[ In Reply To ..]
I can assure you that it's not anything you've done in a past life, nor is it that God doesn't love you. I can imagine that trying for years to have children without ever succeeding was heartbreaking. But I think you would handle Christmas a lot better if you would do something for someone else in your community.

If you don't have money to help out the "half of your family" who are trying to buy Christmas gifts for their own families, then do something that doesn't require money. Go visit some seniors at a nursing facility. Volunteer to help in a homeless shelter. Ask a neighbor with children if they need free babysitting while they go out to do their own Christmas shopping.

Christmas isn't about the "insane merry-go-round" of gift giving, it's about what we can do for others to touch their lives.

Transcription is a lonely and solitary lifestyle and sometimes it takes a lot of courage to take that first step to reach out to someone. But I think it is well worth it in the long run.

Well said...sm - Old Woman

[ In Reply To ..]
This is what I was referring to in my post. I don't have much monetarily, but I do enjoy doing things for others that helps them out, even if it doesn't cost money. Those are some of the best gifts a person can give....that of themself and their time.

Holidays are hard for some people...sm - Old Woman

[ In Reply To ..]
and I am so very sorry that they are so hard on you. I won't go into a long diatribe, but I did want to say that I don't believe that God loves you any less than any of His other children. We are all called to different "missions," for lack of a better word, in our lives. I know a lady in our church who would have been a wonderful mother, but God chose to use her as a surrogate mother of a sort to help raise her nieces and nephews. He knew they would need her, and she has accepted this calling in life for what it is. I hope that you, too, can find your calling in life. I hope that God will reveal to you what you were meant to do. Perhaps there is a family you could adopt at Christmas, or for all year long, for that matter, and help them out in some way.

I am glad you find happiness in your fur children. I have 2 cats, and they bring me much joy as well....along with some headaches along the way, just as my 2-legged children do.

Be blessed!

Had to post a reply. But - you know, God knows (sm) - pearlywhite

[ In Reply To ..]
the beginnng and end of our lives. If he withholds children - there is a reason. It's not because you are unworthy. I always wondered why I never married. Sure, it hurts to see happily married couples together, having a family with the one you love. But I am not going to let it destroy my life. That is when "Thy Will Be Done" is accepted and not questioned.

I truly feel for you, I'm childless too and it hurts on holidays... - SP

[ In Reply To ..]
I have my DH and my fur baby, an 80-some pound dog, and as much as I hate having no babies at Christmas, I have to really be thankful for who and what I do have and celebrate and be happy anyway. I know people who would trade places with me for what I do have in my life, which makes me grateful and thankful, but yes I do know your pain of TTC for a long time and coming up empty-handed. That is pain like no one understands unless they've been through it. Any holiday sucks for me, not just Christmas, but I've decided to either wallow in it or enjoy it. I was angry at God for a long time about being infertile, which is okay to be BTW, and went through extensive therapy as well, and I figured out that I had to grieve a loss in a way and then move on. Chase it, face it, erase it, as they say. Will I ever be over having no children? Of course not, but for the sake of my sanity, relationship, finances, etc, I cannot dwell on it anymore b/c it really takes up your whole life. I do pray for you and wish you the best during this hard time and know that you are not the only one with no babies at Christmas, no matter how much it feels like you are alone. It does suck but it doesn't have to run your life if you don't let it.

God Bless.

I LOVE Christmas! I start shopping in March and - usually can't remember everything that

[ In Reply To ..]
I bought throughout the year or where I put it by the time Christmas rolls around, but that just means that when I do come across them, I already have birthday presents. :D

A little damper on this Christmas because my hubby will be going to Afghanistan days after Christmas, but I am just going to do my best to enjoy it and be thankful for the fact that at least he gets to be here for Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone!

We're scaling back this year - - NYMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Our last two kids living at home are 20 and 22, and both of them said they want to scale back and make Christmas more about family than presents. I'm sooooo proud of them to have matured so very much! They're delightful people and we all enjoy each other's company, so, in my son's words, "one or two heartfelt gifts" and a day of feasting and games. Bring on Charles Dickens!

Lucky.... - not mine

[ In Reply To ..]
I suggested helping a family through the county and told my girls that I wanted to spend on an unfortunate family what I would have spent on them. Well, my selfish babies (20 and 22) said that I was being unfair!

For sure they are getting a bag of coal.

Where did I go wrong?

I like that. We exchange names in my family, cuts the shopping list in half... - SP

[ In Reply To ..]
My DH and I have close to 20 people we buy for at Christmas, but exchanging names brings it down to 10. We set a $$ limit per person and each person only has 1 to shop for and it's fun to figure out who their secret santa is when we all get together for food, fun, and festivities. It's more about the kids anyway. Adults can buy their own things and it's not as big a deal to us as much as the kids love ripping open presents. I still do, but I love giving more than receiving anyway. It took years to get the name exchange idea to stick and now we have fun with it. It also makes it easier to shop for that hard-to-shop-for person because if you get their name, you know your budget and have their list too. Some people are against name exchange, but it's so much easier. But I do agree with the family part of Christmas absolutely. I'd rather have memories and pictures of my family than so and so gave me this one year and now I don't see them anymore...

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