Holiday Blues

It's not really any consolation, but I have cat troubles too and I won't get to see my grandmother 'til the weekend after T-day, and somehow I'm not so much in the mood for the holiday, but I know when tomorrow comes and I get some food and wine in me, I'll be OK.

I know everything you say is reasonable and true Michael, but this does not stop my mortal foe, depression, from taking his throne this time of year.

I know I'm not alone on Ilx in this.

Urethral blockage in 17 year old male with beginning renal failure.

Thanksgiving hasn't been a family holiday for me for nearly 10 years (since I moved halfway across the country from them). Last year we decided to treat Thanksgiving like a 4 day weekend and took a trip to the Gulf Coast, just to get out of town and be near the water. It was brilliant and very relaxing. Some day I'd like to go someplace else for xmas, too.

At the very least I know that avoiding my family is a therapist-approved method of reducing panic attacks :)

Don't feel like you're "not strong enough to deal with your family." You're very strong for dealing with your kitty and with the fucking dirge and pain of the holiday season. I'm with you on how hard it is. It seems like post-Halloween, pre-St. Patrick's Day is calculated to make a person feel like shit. I just moved to sunny New Mexico where I can still walk around in a t-shirt and I've got the holiday blues something fierce already. It's not SAD, this time of year is just bittersweet at very best.

I've had fractured family problems ever since I moved out and they hurt the holidays more than anything. One of the most reassuring things anyone ever told me is: once you're grown up, you get to choose your own family.

At least you say Xmas should be fun...at least you have something to look forward to!

Works the other fucking way for me. I definitely NEED my parents. Not only because, well, it would create some TIME OFF for me - I run their shop - but would also mean that I could spend some quality time with them instead of sitting like a god damn buffoon in front of a webcam trying to be all cheery and show the baby. "Hey look mum, Ophelia!" If this goes on, Ophelia will think grandma lives in the computer. Fuck this.

Yes, I am pissed off.

Oh yeah, it'd also lessen my panic attacks if they relocated to Belgium.

Damn it.

I was being sarcastic when I said xmas would be fun. :/ Maybe I should try to be optimistic.

why this year is automatically better: I'm not unemployed. hurray!

nath, why are yr parents living in Japan? are there plans to relocate?

Relocate? Hell no. :-( At first they came back every other month, then every 3 months and now? Well, let's say it'll be half a fucking YEAR. I'm going in February to Japan so my mum figures that they can stay in Japan until... Well, at least until April. Soon we'll be wearing name tags to know who's who.

i've never fully understood the holiday blues but i get them a lot -- it's this very strange, still feeling...

like i need company, i don't love being alone at this time of year

Got a mild case this year. It's been a really rough year for me and there is a lot of change going on in my life right now. Also, the holidays don't really hold such great memories for me so there is def that too. Bah. I'll get over it and hopefully the next week will be busy enough that it won't matter but right now I'm certainly a little blue.

http://blog.timesunion.com/bark/files/2009/05/puppy-christmas.jpg

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

christmas has kinda been a historically shitty time for us family wise too, but still always manage to get into it in the last week or two. two year old niece staying this year, will definitely make it special.

Yeah. Kids make it awesome. There are tons of them running around the place where I work now and watching them has been pretty amazing tbh.

Like I said, I'll be fine I just always get a little blue this time of year and given what has been going on the past months it's a bit worse than usual. That puppy helped though. Thank you!

:)

Looks like I'll be having my first Christmas alone this year. Not too PSYCHED, esp as last year I had the best xmas time of my life. Doubt I'll be sticking w giving up smoking/drinking too much longer.

I wish I had a river I could skate away on.

a good friend of my mom's and brother's died unexpectedly today. it's going to be a tough christmas, but even more so for his family...man, every year from now on, they're going to be marking their dad's funeral.

first divorce xmas over here, we'll see about this

Fresh packet of tobacco and a box of wine, woo. Hugs guys

second holiday abroad but this time with no girlfriend, no close friends or family either. it's okay I'm not a big holidays guy. cheers all around

Its been a big up and down holiday season for me, what with work and alot of other crap that I'm just waiting to resolve itself. Am looking forward to a few days off with nothing to do.

mom and one brother are coping by going to bed early. dad, other brother, and i are coping by drinking. at least we're engaging pathetic coping mechanisms together....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EreYmNM0N0s

hope this helps ya'll. my christmas eve was actually a lot better than i expected it to be. maybe because i napped through most of the party, but...