It’s that time of year, and normally, I get all excited for the holiday season. It’s one of my favorite times of year; everything’s sparkly and decorated, there’s this exciting anticipation buzzing in the air, the air smells like fireplaces going and the promise of snow.
This year, I am feeling Grinch-y. Holiday shoppers and tourists are driving me crazy ( and it’s only the first day of December!) I have no excitement or joy for the season like I normally do. Maybe it’s because I’m not surrounded by 2 year olds this year, who for them, it’s the first year they really can grasp the concept of the holiday, Santa, etc and are SUPER EXCITED over it, partly because it’s all new to them.
It might be the fact that for the first year in a long time, my mom’s side of the family might not be getting together for the holidays. Every year, I look forward to this get together; the loud, laughing, nonstop talking, loving family I get to see few and far between. I feel like this year it’s especially poignant for us to get together as my lovely Tante Lynn is kicking cancer’s ass right now ( because you are Tante Lynn!).
It might be the fact that I’m overwhelmed with the end of the semester and the possibility of having to make a decision about a job ( and how it might affect my graduation- more on that in another post).
Or it might be I got so excited over the holidays because I knew it was an uncomfortable time of year for him. It always reminded him of the family he didn’t have growing up. I wanted to give him the holiday experience everyone deserves, and start our own traditions as the family we were becoming. This is the first Christmas in 7 years I won’t spend with him.
Our first "adult" Christmas after college
J-man's first Christmas- of course he got into the wrapping paper
On the bright side, one tradition that has never failed me yet, is the annual get together with the girls around the holidays! We’ve made this a tradition since freshman year of college, that we would all get together for a meal and fun before we left for break. Now that we’re older, we get together for a girls’ weekend/night. 9 years and going strong! This year I made super cool surprises for them that I will make a post for about after I give them to them (don’t want to ruin the surprise!) I CAN’T WAIT to give them to the girls. I hope they like them as much as I do!
Are you in a Merry mood, or are you being a Grinch?
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Tags: Family, Friendship, Life
