Christmas decorations ?

Interesting thread. I love idea of the tree stocked (and needing to be restocked!) with chocolate decorations, though it just wouldn''t work with our Aussie heatwave Christmases. And Nigella your first Christmas alone with the falling tree and your son in tears sounded heartbreaking, I''m glad it has only got better.
I have put mine up, but only for my kids. I wouldn''t have bothered otherwise, but I had to make an effort for them. Sadly this is the first year neither have mentioned Santa, though they are a bit old to believe anyway.

I wish I could go to sleep and wake up on Jan 1st. X

Hear hear. I wish I could go to sleep and wake up when it''s all over, which means probably in about a year.

In fact I wish i could go to sleep full stop.

Sorry to be such a misery.

Just went to hospital for tests re my memory, got back to the car and had another ticket. I seem to be getting them every time I leave the house, but this is entirely unjustified and now I have to either cough up, or find the energy to dispute it.

Dr in the neuropshychology dept ended up giving me a whole sheet of numbers to call if feeling suicidal. Great. Feel more like topping myself than calling any of them, but don''t worry wikis, I wouldn''t do that to my kids.

Hi all,

I remember my first Christmas, like many of you, just a matter of weeks since the big bang, I went to friends for lunch and then rushed home to ''bubble'' like there was not tomorrow, jumping in the car on Boxing Day for a 3 day ''escape'' to a hotel with the children. (I did meet sun flower then and I think she saved my sanity! ) Christmases 2 & 3 I realised the ''hotel'' break really was just that, getting away from all of the hullabaloo.

Pre separation my house was like a scene from Santa''s Grotto as well as Mary Berry''s kitchen attached, so running away was alien to me and leaving the house cold with no decorations was heartbreaking. The last 3 years I did not feed the 5,000 or have a kitchen like rush hour at Glasgow''s Queen Street station, but I survived and so did the kids. (If I am honest, it was nice to have it all done for me, although it was at the time a very weird feeling!)

This year, my house is back to the full Christmas festivities but with only the children and I present, this year I feel like I can just about cope with it all.

To all of you finding your early Christmases hard, from the bottom of my heart, they do get easier with time.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas, whether you have decorations or not!

Slainte Mhath! FoS x

For Christmas #1 I forced myself to buy a few bits & bobs, .. & twinkly lights:unsure:
No visitors:(

Christmas #2
Well, I repeated the exercise....that''s what one does for Christmas, isn''t it?
No visitors:(

This year?
I''ve been a bit CBA.
Not anti. Just lazy.
I''ll be away for a chunk of it anyways.

You lot nagged me*, so today I got the lights out.
Don''t ask me how long it took to get them working.
Don''t ask how long it took to hang them all up.
I''ve been to the kitchen.
Now they seem comprehensively dead.
If the doorbell rings, I''m not answering it this year:angry:



*you know who you are;)

Oh dear, oh dear.

I''m finding reading this thread so emotional (has been an emotional day though). I too was decorated like a Harrods window display and had a kitchen to make Mary and Nigella envious, party for all the local friends on the day, I could go on but it''s making me tired thinking of it actually.

What is it that makes this time of year so hard for those who are suffering then?

The tradition of it? The memory of it? The cost of it? The ''we all have to be so blinking happy'' of it?

I think for me, it''s all that lost innocence, Santa can''t make it all magic and right any more, not even for our children really.

It seems to be something to be ''survived''….but survive it we will, act it out, and then there is 2014, a new year in which to move forward, for that is the only direction, and so I''ll be drinking to that.

I try to take a step back out of the christmas tree forest and see the trees for what they are. It''s just a day in a pretty silly time of year and it can all be toned down for me and mine and it is less stressful this way for us. Not bah humbugging it in any way, just I refuse (now) to get caught up in too much of it and that way can actually enjoy it a bit more. No more kitchen heroics, might even go down the pub for a pint and packet of crisps with my children this year, if they want to that is, it''ll be a calm day and a different day and I am beginning to embrace the change.

I''ll raise a toast to you all on the day.

Here''s to us.

xx whatever xx

Hi WLI
I feel what you are saying.
I haven''t had a ''normal'' Christmas really since, well 5 years ago.
I am pretty much numb to it tbh, at the moment it is the only way I can get through. I went to estate agents today to arrange for a valuation. The guy asked me when would be convenient to come round I said next Tuesday. He looked at me quizzically, that''s Christmas Eve he said, I hadn''t realised and to be honest I kinda of thought its no big deal to me. We arranged it for next week.
I''m in a parallel universe this time of year, to give me enough space from the feelings I don''t want to feel, but am ok to enjoy being with my lovely kids and friends.
Next year I hope will be different, I might integrate the old feelings with the new positive ones I''m trying to make. .
I''m sure you will have started your journey too x

As I said in my previous post, I''ve been invited by my daughter to join her on a mini break at Butlins. If it wasn''t for her cajoling, Christmas would have passed me by completely.

I have to admit that, even though I know I have something to look forward to, it hasn''t stopped me from feeling sorry for myself.

Contrary to what other people may say, to me Christmas will never be just another day, there are just too many memories associated with it.

I know I''m very lucky so, for my daughter''s sake, I will do my best to enjoy my very different Christmas this year.