I suspect most has been said, both in the blogosphere and Facebook. In my stream, in Facebook, there are almost exclusively posts about what they’re cooking and how busy they are. I hope they aren’t too exhausted to enjoy all that food.
Today, in the local news, I heard that they had opened two centres for people who needed counselling during the holiday season. I think that’s a good thing. I can appreciate that people get depressed for a variety of reasons. Not only lonliness and nostalgia for lost loved ones. To toss a whole slough of people together, that normally don’t socialize at all with one another during the rest of the year, can sometimes put a strain on people. They might not even want to be together, but because of traditions and family expectations they have to …
Quite often — especially where I come from — there’s alcohol involved in the celebrations, and that can certainly make old grudges surface. I worked in a small clinic and learned more than I really wished for, about what was going on behind the polished façades.
I think of all the children that have rather learnt to fear Christmas, rather than longing for it … the ones in abusive homes … be it alcohol/drugs or other, unfathomable abuse. Children, who will never get an iPad or the latest smart phone for Christmas … what memories of Christmas do they carry with them later in life!? Children that only saw a Santa that was so drunk so he missed the chair when he tried to sit down … in the best of cases, and the ambulance in the worst!
Then we have all the people who waste all their money on expensive gifts that they really can’t afford, so that they hardly can pay the rent/power- and phone bill in January! Their kids have to have that iPad and latest smart/super phone, because «all the other kids have one»! Must be getting very expensive to be a teenage parent these days!
Typing down all this, makes me even more aware of how unbelievably fortunate I’ve been throughout life! In my family, there wasn’t any booze or fights … Christmas was peaceful, Mum was the sole provider but she managed to scrape money together for gifts and we never lacked anything the rest of the year either. I’ve been alone for Christmas at times, but never lonely. There’s a big difference here.
Still, I sometimes have mixed emotions about Christmas. I dislike the commercialism about it. It also makes me sad that there are people who are so inconsiderate of their loved ones feelings about Christmas that they don’t do what’s expected of them. It’s such a short time, so how much would it cost to pay a visit, make a phone call to the ones who love you and be thankful that you have people who do love you.