Christmas Misery: the losers' thread

[Tom Cashel]

Take it from someone who's had a troubled life: this too shall pass.

Hang in there, gentlemen, and happy holidays.

 

[Rel]

Guys, I've had some times in my life when things were not all that hot. And, to be honest, 2004 has not been my best year ever either. But I'm sitting here on Christmas Eve, just having tucked my little 3 year old daughter into bed. She told me before I shut the door that if Santa skipped our house and gave her presents to children that didn't have any, that would be ok.

I don't know what it all means but if it meant going through those tough times to get to where I am now, I'd do it all again in a second.

I wish each of you good fortune in the year to come and I hope you'll do your best to keep your minds on the good things in life. Because there's no profit in dwelling on the bad.

Hang in there because I'm pulling for you.

 

[Greylock]

Been a hard, mostly poor, year for me. Down most of the time. Haven't yet gotten over a nasty divorce [don't have the spirit to join the dating game again.] Prospects are looking good for the latter gripe. There is some promise in a recent divorcee I know. And she's pretty damned cute.

Money had me down, but then I got an unexpected bonus check, so that complaint is gone.

The Eve of the holiday bummed me pretty bad, though. Bad weather canceled what was to be a Family Xmas eve. No biggie, except I spent Thanksgiving flat on my back with the flu. So I was looking forward to this. The event has been re-scheduled for Sunday, but I will be at work then.

And we had a spread a work today, ham, stuffing, pecan pie etc, but by the time I got to it, finally, it had been tossed in the trash.

One month, two holidays, and not a single mouthful of holiday cheer in it for me. Sitting here, wasting an evening at ENWorld munching TownHouse Crackers. That's damned pathetic, I know, but this is my holiday dinner.

The life of a Grocer can suck at times, and this is one of them. Folks were verbally assauting me not three hours ago, wanting to know what business I had closing early on Xmas Eve...Well, most of my employees have families they wanted to be near, and every other holiday of the year they have to work late...

HTH

 

[Nellisir]

It's Chrismas Eve, and my dog needs to be put to sleep.

Dude, I'm sorry. I know that's hard -- I've had to have three dogs and two cats put to sleep (there were more cats, but they didn't do the "dying at the vet's" thing). When I get depressed about it, I imagine them all happy and young and playing together in Heaven, and I get really happy and bawl my eyes out.

My sympathies,
Nell.

 

[Umbran]

I have a fair share of problems too, but telling them to friends who are already depressed can't help.

Actually, it can. The author Spider Robinson perhaps put it best in his "Callahan's" books - shared pain is lessened.

If you aren't going for one-upsmanship (or one downsmanship, in this case), then sharing troubles to sympathetic ears can be a great help. And who is more apt to be truly sympathetic than another person who's there with you?

 

[Nifft]

I worked all day, and now I'm home alone.

On the other hand, I'm both Jewish and an athiest, either of which disqualify me for any Xmas Sympathy.

-- N

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I worked all day, and now I'm home alone.

On the other hand, I'm both Jewish and an athiest, either of which disqualify me for any Xmas Sympathy.

-- N

We can't give you Winter Sympathy? Or end of the year Sympathy? Or just plain group sympathy? I agree with Umbran in the 'shared pain is lessened' thing. And even simple things can be as bad as details crazy things.

 

[Darrin Drader]

It's Chrismas Eve, and my dog needs to be put to sleep.

You win.

I'm going through my own personal hell this X-mas, but at the very least I still have my health, my wife, and my kids.

Want to know what's cheering me up right now? My story hour.

On the other hand, I'm both Jewish and an athiest, either of which disqualify me for any Xmas Sympathy.

I'm Buddahist, but I celebrate X-mas as a cultural holiday. I don't even get offended when people wish me a Merry Christmas.

Take it from someone who's had a troubled life: this too shall pass.

Hang in there, gentlemen, and happy holidays.

Truth. Happy holidays back at'cha.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Want to know what's cheering me up right now? My story hour.

You know, mine's doing the same thing for me. Feels great to be able to sort of vent through writing. Now if I could just get my art back up and going...stupid hand not listening to brain...(Oh, and I love the SH, Darrin)

 

[johnsemlak]

Well, hmm, I'm not sure if my post will help, but here's my situation..

In Russia December 25th (the date I would celebrate Christmas) is pretty much a normal day. It's saturday this year, but on other years it's just a standard workday. If you didn't surf the internet, you woudn't realize it was Xmas day.

People are getting ready for New Years Day (the really big holiday here) but even then people don't have nearly the long and stressful pre-holiday biz.

I remmeber reading several weeks ago people referring to the 'pre-holiday stress' and it really caught be off guard--what holidays (in early December or even late November)?; what stress? I had barely begun to even think about the holidays.

I guess what I'm saying is the environomnet I'm living it has a great deal less holiday biz; there's less to feel good about, and less to feel bad about.

Personal problems--well, I'm 32, married, childless and we're having a very difficult time having children. I hope none of you ever have to experience that kind of stress.