Bah Humbug!

MrCleveland · Post by **MrCleveland** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:57 pm

This Christmas may be the worst Christmas ever.

First-I won't be seeing my relatives and I won't mingle with them and all that.

Second-My Grandma is at the Hospital so we won't be doing a real Christmas.

Third-I usually have Rigatoni every Christmas...and this year I won't be having any.

Since this will be the Worst Christmas Ever, I won't be wearing a suit and tie like I usually do and everything is postponed.

So I'm a Scrooge this year since traditions are memories this year!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:04 pm

Hi MrCleveland,

Guess there's no need in wishing you a Merry Christmas since you've decided to be Scrooge himself this year. It is very difficult to accept when our time honored holiday traditions are suddenly not what they used to be. We look forward to those traditions year after year and then comes a year when nothing is as it "should" be and we feel upset,sad, hurt, even angry sometimes. Unfortunately, in each of our lives a time will eventually come when things aren't the way they used to be during the holidays anymore. For many of us it is the death of a loved one or many loved ones that bring our cherished traditions to a halt and the memories of past holidays are painful reminders of what we have lost. There is a song from years ago which had the line, "Life's about changin', nothin' ever stays the same" and those words are so very true. For you this year the changes are because you won't be with your family, your grandmother being hospitalized, not having what you usually have to eat on Christmas and not dressing up because nothing else will be the same. Some of us are trying to do the best we can with the holidays even though we have recently lost a parent, a spouse, or perhaps even a child. We celebrate if we choose ,we mourn if we must, sometimes we even get away and do something completely different and that's ok. Maybe you can find something this holiday season to be thankful for and find a different way to spend Christmas this year. Granted, it won't be the same and maybe it never will be the same again but it's up to you whether you make this holiday totally miserable for yourself or make the best of what you do have this holiday. I hope you choose the latter.
Take care and God Bless. And Merry Christmas anyway!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 4:11 pm

Wow Gale so well put that was beautiful. Thank you for reminding me. I too have lost a few loved ones this year 4 to be exact and missing my father. But you are so right and I am going to remember that the memories is what I will hold dear and even though we are greiving our family members and life is soooo different now and traditions will never be the same your words touched my heart and I still have so much to be grateful for. Even the ones I am missing with all my heart right now I am grateful they were in my life at all. So thank you Gale you have inspired me to keep moving forward and holding on to my gratitude.
God bless you and Merry Christmas to you
p.s MrCleveland I hope you got alot out of what Gale wrote it was a blessing to you take care and Merry Christmas put on your suit and celebrate your life you never know what lies ahead God bless you

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 5:13 pm

Hi MimiGirl,

I am so sorry you have suffered so many losses this year. My heart truly goes out to you this holiday season as I know it must be so difficult to carry on without your loved ones, especially your dear father. It's so true- none of us knows how long we will be in this world or how long we will have those who are dearest to us. Somehow we often take for granted that things will always be as they are at this moment and that we will always have those we love most. Unfortunately life just doesn't work that way nor is it supposed to. Though it is easy to get caught up in the way things SHOULD be at holiday time, not every holiday will live up to our expectations of the perfect day so we may as well face that fact because one day we will lose those who are dearest to us and life and holiday traditions will never be the same. We can choose to be thankful for what we do have and go on as best we can or not, in which case we will live a very miserable existance.

God bless you,my friend and thank you for your very kind words. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed year ahead!

Gale

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:58 am

My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one this year. It's painful to begin with and the holidays just make it seem worst.
To those who are gone, there can be no greater joy than the celebration of our Savior's birth in heaven where actual choirs of angels will sing with joy. Just imagine what that will be like.
To those who are left behind, the best piece of advice available is to make your own new traditions. We have to accept that Christmas may never again be 'what it was', but why do we have to stay in negativity and NOT let it become special in another way? There are plenty of new traditions that you can start that will bring you joy and make special memories.
We can't live in the past, or in the future. We have to stay in the present, precious moments.
~Lynnier

*D* · Post by ***D*** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:31 am

I understand that you are upset, but you still have choices.... I was in the same boat 2 years ago! We have ALWAYS had Christmas Eve at my mom's house with all of the grandparents and then went back for Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, well 2 years ago my grandpa was suffering with cancer and he was in a hospital about 4 hours from here and as we gathered on Christmas Eve, the phone rang, it was the hospital and grandpa was not doing well. My mom and dad and grandma all loaded up and left, like they should have...we were alone and facing Christmas without family! I thought I would not make it through, I was so upset about my grandpa and the situation that I had a choice to make the best of it or make it a depressing memory. I chose to do the best that I could, so we had a roast instead of the huge dinner and we tried to remember the reason for the season. When my mom returned we had the family dinner. We lost my grandpa a month later.....the holiday's have never been the same.... We had lost my other grandfather 3 years prior. What was once about 20 of us each holiday had whittled to 8 over a few years. Now my mom has moved away this year so we once again face change...it is natural and part of life, rather we enjoy it or not, we have choices....Please do not let the things that are not good right now destroy your hope, put one foot in front of the other so you can creep forward through these changes...

Chrystal

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:04 am

~Tis better to give than to receive~

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:21 pm

MrCleveland,
I can relate with you when you talk about not being able to be with your family and mingle this year, and also about your grandmother being in the hospital. This holiday season for me has been all about it not "being the same". My dear grandmother all of a sudden had to get a quadruple bipass in a city over 3 hours away. I have other family that live in that city, so they were able to be there to support her for the season. Usually we all get together at my grandparent's house to celebrate with lots of love, laughs,and people. Because of complications due to the surgery nobody was able to come over, and my grandma was in and out of the hospital. To make matters worse I just had a beautiful new baby girl, and my grandmother is missing the first months of her life(including her first Christmas). It has been hard, but somehow I've made it though this tough holiday with my head still above the snow. We may not have had what I wanted and exspected this year, but it wasn't too bad. I really hope that you have found another way to make Christmas special for you this year. I know it is very hard to do when everything seems to be working against you. You wrote the word postponed, does that mean that there is a possibility of your family getting together at a later date for a "psuedo-Christmas"? I wish the best to you and yours this holiday season. I hope things go better for you in the near future.