Christmas - A time for ??

You know, I've always wondered what people do on Boxing Day... I see it on calendars every so often, but it's always been a mystery...

Like you said, some things are nice, and some I could do without. But people watching with a bit of alcohol is probably my favorite part...

 

Ha, yep, running around like a headless chicken! Heading off to my parents' after work today, not that I have actually packed anything that I need to take with me yet!

On the whole, I'm generally a fan, I like my family, although a couple of them can be hard work, and a few days is enough! Also, by now I'm a little overindulged on Christmas food already, the thought of eating loads more on Christmas day doesn't really appeal at the moment.

One thing that will be a little tricky this year is that it will be the first time I've spent any length of time with my parents since I started questioning my sexuality, and coming to the realisation that I'm not as straight as I used to think. I'm generally very open with my parents - I've talked to them at length about my recent split from my boyfriend. But this is something I'm not ready to talk to them about yet, and so I feel like I am keeping something them, and find it hard work to make sure I don't let anything slip. I think I'm now hyper conscious of how anything I say around the topic of sexuality etc could be construed.

But I'm sure it will all be fine...just as soon as I've packed! I hope you have a lovely Christmas, and get some time to relax!

 

I have historically very much enjoyed and looked forward to the holidays. But as each year goes by, I become a bit more relaxed about them. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, I enjoy going to the various holiday markets, and for a very brief stint I like the hectic crowds shopping. But the holiday "season" seems to get longer and longer each year. I think as I get older, that bit of childhood enthusiasm inside of me gets that much quieter.

Maybe, to the extent I am so fortunate and I have another child, that enthusiasm will be reignited and I can relive the holidays that way

 

mmm the lights, the tree,the food, my son opening his presents on Christmas morning, having dinner with my elderly parents, having a glass of wine with the tree on one side and the fire crackling on the other, might be better with someone to share that glass of wine with though... but hey, i ain't complaining i have my home and my son and that makes Christmas all the merrier.

 

For me, it is a time of almost unbearable anxiety trying to meet everyone's overwhelming expectations. I am actually going to spend Xmas Eve by myself at our country house (really, it's just an old farmhouse I inherited) because I know there will inevitably be a confrontation with my wife's abusive, bully of sister. With everything going in on my head and my heart, I am just *not* in a mental or emotional state to prevent myself from exploding at her bullshit. My wife even agrees that it's best that I not be there.

 

I have always loved Christmas. I put our tree up right after Thanksgiving and spent a lot of time decorating it. I love shopping for gifts for people and trying to find something that I know they will enjoy. I love the (good) holiday music, family time, and of course--the food!

The one thing about holiday traditions that gets to me a little (now that I am out as bisexual to myself, my husband, and my best female friend)--is how, at least in my family, these meetings seem to show how traditionally straight everyone is. Everyone is either married, getting married, having babies, celebrating kids, celebrating Christianity and all that entails. Granted, I do have some very open-minded, lgbt-supporting family members (and many who are firmly /not/supportive, as well). On the rare instances LGBT issues come up on my mom's side of the family (they are generally the more progressive side)--they are always spoken about as sort of 'The Other' or 'The Unknown'. I can't say anything, which frustrates me. A year or two ago, my conservative uncle on that side of the family said he 'just couldn't understand' being gay, because the man's 'part' fits together with a woman's; end of story. Ugh.

I may have to sneak over to this site and read people's comments and stories throughout the holiday season to remind myself that I'm not alone.

 

I like the exchanging of gifts, the big family meal, getting to see people that I haven't seen in awhile, looking at Christmas lights, watching our traditional batch of holiday movies, etc.

What I don't like is the forced "visiting" with people I either actively dislike (my grandmother for instance) or don't know or don't care about (family friends, etc). I'm not real big on visiting to begin with. I like to do things with other people, but there's only a very small number I enjoy just sitting around and talking with.

Least favorite thing would be dealing with when family members get on tangents about politics and such, since I'm the only "lib-tard" in the group, so I end up having to bite my tongue while they rant about Obama and Muslims, tell racists jokes, etc. The one saving grace is my sister is at least not homophobic and she's much more outspoken than me, so she puts the kibash on my dad's homophobic rants if he gets going....

But, for the most part, it's usually an enjoyable, if stressful season.

 

My brother and I live very near to each other, but almost never speak as we are just not close. Its not that we dislike each other, but we have very little in common and carrying on a conversation for more than a few minutes about relatives, and other things we have in common just doesn't work for very long. For the past few years, he has gone to visit our widowed mother on the other side of the country. This year, he has decided he doesn't want to do that, so my mother has come here. I just saw her last month, and will be visiting her myself in a few weeks. So, the three of us will be getting together (we did tonight actually for dinner, but it was very quick) a few times. In all honesty, she was really coming here to see him, rather than me. They will be coming over Christmas afternoon, but I have advused them that everything is closed and there is not a lot to do so be prepared to bring reading material and such. Welcome to my life ... in all honesty, I should have gone away somewhere else for Christmas by myself, but I know my mother would have been hurt if I had actually gone through with it.

 

My Christmas won't be much. Totally alone, and nothing to make the day special.

I used to like Christmas--decorating, cookies, gifts, special dinner. But for many years, it's been just a day to live through. Some years better than others, of course. The last "real" Christmas I recall? George Bush (the father) was still in office... :tears: