Ba Humbug, not excited about the holidays

[khall]

I am so not feeling the holiday spirit this year. Don't even have the tree decorated nor much else up other than a couple of wreaths. My DH has not been one to decorate a tree in years, always lets DS and I do the decorating after getting everything down and assembling the fake tree. DS has been being very much a teenager, to the point he and I are butting heads pretty regularly these days. DH has been busy with his hobby, scouting and I have been wrapped up and concerned with my horses and one of our dogs. DH 's family can be hard to buy for, we don't visit with them very much so not that we know their likes/dislikes. My family we pretty much don't exchange very many gifts more with nieces and nephew, not my sister nor our parents (really not like we all need very much these days).

DH is hard to buy for and DS has expensive taste and I have a big vet bill to pay off! I have ordered a few gifts for a few people, but not much and really have no interest in shopping right now. DH is really trying to "raise the moral" around here, not working so well with me.

I guess my biggest stressor right now is my horses, will find out more tomorrow after their 3rd scope since October. I have had to change my pasture situation drastically which is really upping my hay consumption to the point I am concerned about having enough to get me through to cutting next year even though I ordered 200 more bales. I went through almost 24 bales in one week , I have never had to feed this much hay.

I find out the 24th (yes I have to make the long drive to UGA with our dog on Christmas Eve to see if he will need $1500 orthopedic surgery for incomplete fracture of the elbow) which is an all day affair there.

Anyone else not in the holiday spirit?

[Moutaineer]

Me. I've got to fire someone tomorrow, and even though I have good and sufficient cause, it makes me feel ill.

[pawsplus]

Me too. Just found out it that the water and termite damage to my house siding will cost me $2k, the new barn doors and spring house roof will be $1k or more, and then I got a $600 Bill for PT on my previously broken ankle whose tendons acted up this fall, which I thought would be covered more completely by insurance. I've been saving like a fiend so that in 8-10 years I might be able to move to the PNW, and while this hardly wipes me out, it feels like a setback. Merry Freaking Christmas.

[piedmontfields]

Just sending my thoughts out to those having a hard time. I think it has been a very rough year for a lot of people--especially over the last several months! I truly hope all in your worlds evolve and improve soon, expensive or not. 2016 isn't far away....

[PaulaO]

I'm up and down about the holidays. My sister (my only family) and her husband will be out of town visiting their children for the holiday. So I'm going to my friend's for Christmas Eve, and out to dinner with my Jewish friend on Christmas Day. We call it Jewmas.

I finally finished my tree over the weekend. I haven't listened to much Christmas music, but this morning listened to A Charlie Brown Christmas on the drive in, and I feel better. I guess this is more a quiet, internal Christmas for me.

I understand that some people aren't happy during the holidays. I totally get that, and want you to know you are not alone in feeling tht way. I don't want people to feel that nobody understands. I do, because 2 Christmases ago was the worst period in my life. It's o.k. It will get better.

And it doesn't matter if you feel in the Christmas spirit or not. There's no law saying we have to be holly and jolly.

[Rhianon]

I was all set to be miserable. Couldn't bear to bring out the decorations since we bought kitty-proof ones last year and they all remind me of Mingus. Which was just the final straw in a year of losses. But somehow the spirit is creeping in, bit by bit. I wish the same for you who are feeling kinda blue.

Khall, how about inviting your DH and DS to a tree-trimming party. Good snacks and drinks, some music.

I don't know when/how "decorating the tree" became (a) a job (b) the woman's job. To me it's always been the one fun, really family part of Christmas I remember from my otherwise kinda messy and messed-up childhood.

[Chancellor]

I have gotten so much less stressed since I stopped doing the whole gift thing. It makes my December much easier!
We don't do a Christmas tree because we usually go away and don't want to deal with the whole tree mess.

[redsoxluvr]

I am not remotely excited about the holidays. We've had too much loss recently and I am just not feeling festive. We lost one of our horses last week and this is the anniversary of our dear dog's passing (last year.)

I struggle with the holidays on a good year, but the past few have been really hard. I would be pleased to just skip the whole thing and have a quiet day but no one will let me.

[AirsAboveNC]

I'm scraping the bottom of my savings account to get by, this week. Of course, the Christmas presents I need to have before payday are gotten, and then I'll be scrambling to get the rest between payday and Christmas. This year I would like Santa to bring me a job with paid sick days.

I did splurge ona small, inexpensive tree, decorated sparsely with ornaments I already had. My mom offered me a bunch of stuff my grandparents had, but my apartment is furnished entirely in other peoples' castoffs and I'd rather have a little bit of Christmas decor that I picked, than a whole lot of Someone Else's Old Stuff. It makes it feel a LITTLE like it's my home, this way.

[Hoof'n it]

I am finally able to not feel bad about an undecorated house. Since I have moved away from my family, and to be honest it's liberating.
I'm not a Christmas person, I think like a whole lot of other holidays it's too commercial.

I will buy gifts, (yes I still need to go to the shops) and my nieces and nephews will always be a priority. But I'm just loving not having to worry about getting a tree, decorating the house and tree...

My friends are giving me grief that they will come and be elves and decorate it for me, but I have done a deal with them and they can dress up my goat instead

[Rhianon]

I want to see the decorated goat!

[Woost2]

No plans. No family nearby. Another day with me and the Zibi. I might just stay in bed.

[amygdala]

[quote="Chancellor"]I have gotten so much less stressed since I stopped doing the whole gift thing. It makes my December much easier!


YES!!! my family & i are giving donations to various charities in lieu of gifts-- what a relief!

[khall]

Well got good/bad news with the horses, scope shows my long yearling healed totally but my riding gelding is not showing any improvement from last scope. Sigh, more vet bills. Another immunotherapy dose later this week and another scope in 10 days. Not sure where to go if he does not improve with this dose.

We did get the tree decorated and I decorated the mantle. DH even helped some. DS was present and helped a bit but he is very preoccupied with mid terms right now. He is in a tough college prep school and taking AP classes. Still not feeling shopping, just too much other things that need doing right now.

I want to see the goat as well!! Our neighbor at the end of the drive have two pet goats, they are funny creatures. Quite the characters!

It would help if we had some winter like weather, mid 70s today and the FLIES are still out!! I had to buy fly spray in December!!

I hope all make it through the holidays ok. I do look forward to spending time with the families, though with a trip to UGA Christmas Eve it will be pushing me to get back and get everything else done before heading to the in-laws. My family is Christmas day lunch.

Paws, we went through water/termite damage last year. Thankfully we had termite contract that covered repair.

[AirsAboveNC]

I'm going to derail this a bit to say that I got a very kind PM from someone that really lifted my spirits and made my tough week a little brighter. Thank you, friend, for making me feel less Scroogey!

[Hoof'n it]

I want to see the decorated goat!

This is Robbie. He loves being the centre of attention and that means he loves being dressed up and loves having his picture taken - he is the most vain goat in existence as he actually poses for a picture.

[Suzon]

Me too. Just found out it that the water and termite damage to my house siding will cost me $2k, the new barn doors and spring house roof will be $1k or more, and then I got a $600 Bill for PT on my previously broken ankle whose tendons acted up this fall, which I thought would be covered more completely by insurance. I've been saving like a fiend so that in 8-10 years I might be able to move to the PNW, and while this hardly wipes me out, it feels like a setback. Merry Freaking Christmas.

Wait, Paws, you're moving to the PNW??

[PaulaO]

Hoof, Robbie needs to be on your Christmas cards for next year. He's TOO CUTE!

[bailey]

Love Him! thanks for the laugh!

[kande50]

I struggle with the holidays on a good year, but the past few have been really hard. I would be pleased to just skip the whole thing and have a quiet day but no one will let me.

Maybe you need to become more assertive--or maybe passive?

I've pretty much dropped out of all of the holiday stuff, but started working on it when I was much younger and didn't mind participating so much, and then just gradually participated less and less until I was able to disappear. I can see how it would be much harder to do it suddenly, because of others' expectations.

[pawsplus]

Wait, Paws, you're moving to the PNW??

Not for 8-10 years, and then only if I can save enough for it to be possible.
But hopefully someday.