Who Else Might Be Alone During Christmas, And Doesn't Really Care?

Seriously, we should be counting ourselves as privileged if you ask me. The headlines should be reading that a growing percentage of people will be liberated from this year's ridiculous bout of petty family feuds, socially accepted gluttony, and a bunch of presents even the cheapest Salvation Army shop will not even accept if you pay them money to take it off your hands.

So, that considered, this really raises the question why society wants us to feel so darn guilty about being exempt from the nightmare of anybody, who really knows what is awaiting for them, at this time of year. I mean, sue me for not being a masorchist and for believing happiness is the whole point of life.

 

I''m not sure. If a family doesn't buy a load of crap for eachother and there isn't any feuds why not indulge in a good christmas meal? Are you trying to guilt trip me?

 

Point of order. A masochist thinks being spanked is the whole point of life.

 

Well I was going to go back and see my family over christmas but a recent eye problem has arised where it might be a safer option to stay put just in case a problem arises. I know plane cabins are pressurized, but my doctor is telling me it's not a good idea, just in case. Even living as high as we do in the alps.. is not good for the mercury pressures etc. I don't want my eye exploding or anything. =(

 

Ummmm..... Whut?

 

what, did your family get you a bag of turds last year? no wonder you're not interested in going back.


i'll spend the day with my parents. i don't really care either way; it's nice spending time with them but it's also nice having a day to myself every once in a while. what i don't get is the people that act like spending the day alone would be the greatest possible form of torture. it's just a fucking day like any other, if it's ok to spend august 16th alone, then why not december 25th?

 

i don't actually expect to be alone entirely. if i were, i would probably not notice or be aware of the passing of the day.
i would be perfectly happy and at peace to be alone. the happiest times in my life are when i'm alone.

my thoughts are never alone from the gestalt of the diversity of all cultures and all beliefs. and also the landscapes and environments of all places.
and the proportion humans bear to the places they occupy, which is by far the smaller of the two.

so if i had a small studio apartment, or far better still, a small detached cabin somewhere, i would indeed spend the day quite joyously alone.

as it happens, i rent a room in a house with several other persons, who all, including myself, share at least one interest anyway.

there is very great likelihood, not inevitable, but probable, that i will be invited by the family of one of them, to share in their feasting.

as you know, there is not to me, one particular day. i consider the week or so, from the winter solstice to 'new years', the week of celebrating peace.

whatever other things people do or believe in conjunction with that week, or any day within it, is a matter of their personal culture and taste.

 

When the kids were little it was great fun, now....meh.

 

Bah humbug, man
Yea, like iminmyunderwear said, did you get a bag of turds last year?

 

I am not a sociable person, so I do not mind being alone. Holidays included, especially since I do not celebrate them.

 

No, but are you so easy to please you won't mind any present that does not include a bag of turds?

 

only for children, who have yet to gain the means and ability to give, is it only about getting.
the stress of expectation, as well as its accompanying potential for disappointment, are eminently worthy of circumvention.
the real and only point of celebrating one day between the solstice and new year, or the entire duration,
is that peace is not only achievable, but fully capable of existing, anytime the lack of it, is not being deliberately caused.

 

i'm sure there's some hypothetical presents that i would mind. like a bag of anthrax for example. but generally it doesn't matter much what i get. i go into christmas having what i have, and i go out of christmas having that and some other stuff. if that other stuff is really cool, that's a nice bonus, and if that other stuff is something shitty that i have no use for, then i'm pretty much right back where i started.

 

i really genuinely like being alone, and most of the time prefer it. holidays are really not that big of an exception. i do like being around people sometimes. mostly when i have some interest in common with them.
i like being invited to share holidays. i like the idea. and usually enjoy the occasion. i don't plan on, nor expect it to happen. just appreciate it when it does. and when it don't it don't.
i always have other things to do that i enjoy doing. so its just not THAT big of a deal, either way.
been a long time since i've known more then a very few people other then whoever i happen to be around.

i don't expect stuff. and the stuff i like, rather expensive tools mostly, aren't the sort of thing i could logically expect anyone to give.
as it is, someone has already given me something of that nature i would never have expected.

 

So your secret to enjoying Christmas is to have low expectations?

 

kind of i guess, although i see it more as my secret to not being miserable is to not create a bunch of pointless expectations to stress over.

 

i don't feel guilty at all. nor that there's anything to feel guilty about it. only one time in my life was i ever at any of those kind of big family gatherings, and that was 55 years ago when i was 11 years old. my parents and i lived on the left coast of america. all their relatives lived on the other over populated one. so there's not a tradition of any of that in my personal life history.

when i was little i was dependent on my parents to give me toys. there was no internet in those days or even personal computers. but that was more then four, almost five, decades ago, that i was a dependent minor.

i think its wonderful that people should want to celebrate peace, from solstice to new years. feasts are good too. but for all that family stuff, i never really knew any of it. so you know what they say about you can't miss what you've never known.

now of course i have friends now. wherever i live i have some and i appreciate that. but other then just my two parents, it is only people i have interests in common with that i've ever done anything together with.
and my parents are both long dead now. so there are just the people i know in real life and whatever they invite me to. if and when they feel like it.

its nice when they do, but its not something i expect. so if i'm with anyone i am, and if i'm not i'm not, and that's all the big deal there is to it.

 

I'm sure if I had a family as cool as yours, I might be less indifferent about Christmas. As it so happens a girl I got back together with, hates her family as much as I do, so we decided to celebrate it together, since we do not have any other plans.

 

i'm not sure what you mean. i feel like i'm a lot more indifferent about christmas than you seem to be.

 

Solitude is ok by me. I don't do loneliness.
I've bought myself a present,too.
I'm going to be uber-excited to find out what it is...