OMG y'all, it's July, fer Chrissakes.

I mean, it'll be at least another three months before the annual obligatory "I know I'm a newb but I've been around a few months and I promise I'm good for it" person even registers.

It is? July? already? Dayum

Atually, it almost August! Just 4 more days and we'll have a party for all the horses!

oh shush.

:lol2: I know, the year is going by too quickly! My life is slipping through my fingers... :(

151 days til Christmas. If you have a family, budgeting is important :)
In my case 11 paydays So 2 pressies per cheque or so. Knowing about this now also gets my butt in gear for all the other gifts I need to get.

Christmas is usually the most depressing time of year for me. Everything bad that's ever happened to me seems to have come close to that holiday. Every year I say I'm gonna have a joyous holiday, but it never seems to work. I was on somewhat of a roll last year and I had a heart attack. Was in the hospital from 12-17 to 12-23 I think it was.
However... I will try even harder this year.

Capnhowdy my husbands bad time was in Feb every year for about 15 years. Then he said to me, " it's gonna happen anyway, so lets just make sure we have some $$ in the bank, insurance up to date and be prepared for the worst" So we did. And nothing major happened! Just acknowledging the fact that he could not change or stop most of the things that happened made it not so bad. We went through the month (and the month after) saying " well we had a great week, lets do it again next week" I guess what we really did was change our perspective. :)

I will say one thing about your last Christmas, it WAS a joyous Christmas to you and your loved ones..... you LIVED! and most likely learned how to help yourself stay healthier. Don't try harder... that never seems to work.
Instead find little things that will matter to you and your loved ones, and do those instead. One thing we did (especially when we were broke, and now its tradition) is our version of the 12 days of christmas. We would pick one thing to do as a family each day for the 10 days up to christmas eve (christmas eve and christmas day were 2 and 1 for us ) ie:
decorate the tree
make cookies
make and write christmas cards
wrap presents
go tobogganing
go for a hay ride
go look at lights,
go to the movies (or grab a movie and stay in)
go out for hot chocolate and donuts,
host a dinner party,
go skating at the free rink
go swimming at the rec centre
take the cameras out, and go picture hunting
volunteer at the food bank,
take some of those cookies we made to an old folks home,
go play with animals at the SPCA, feed and brush some who need love too

Lovely words, Jaydaan. And I don't know the Cap'n's personal situation...
But it doesn't work for people like me.
Christmas is better now I'm back with the 'rents. But that carries its own stigma.
It's tough.

Sorry to be down and all.

Luckily, tis not the season to be jolly...yet. ;)

You are under no obligation. Neither am I, which is good because I am decidedly unjolly today! :)

Thanks, Jaydaan. A very lovely and uplifting post. How thoughtful.

Never ever say you will have a Joyous holiday! again

unless....... you are trying to actually hear celestial harps close up and personal this time. ( I am glad you are ok cap'n)

I'd just bake people stuff with no expectations. Oh and maybe a twinkly light or two.


edit- [I guess I'm seconding what jaydaan said- nice thoughts jay]

OK, I hereby invite all those who have a tradition of crappy Christmases to come to my house and have a good one.

I promise there will be wine, women and song...and blokes, and food and laughter and love too.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP SHAWNEE GET HER JOLLYS BACK?!!!



hehehehehe