Upside/downside of the holidays
 

Do y'all see definite upsides and downsides to the holidays?

For instance:

:) My husband and kids are out of school!

:) Of course, there's the religious side to the season!:)

:) The fun! The food! The music!


On the other hand:

:( I will, as usual, spend too much at the last minute because it's so hard to try to make sure 13 kids are more or less even

:( My inlaws will be unable to understand why I don't want to spend Christmas with my buttbrained sister-in-law

:( It's hard not to gain weight at Christmas!


Anybody else?

Oh Carnatin, I know what you mean about keeping it even. One year I actually made a list with the $$$ spent. Dang rather than just stop, I kept edging up. To try with 13 is far beyond my managability. This is a good topic-

Good
Family home
GREAT FOOD
My house is REALLY clean (for company)
Everything is so beautiful and shiney
I get to pick the music
Renting videos
SPADES

BAD
NO SNOW!-Today, it is warm and muggy
Crowds at the mall-traffic in general
If you don't get to church 45 min-1 hr early you stand for another hour.
WEIGHT GAIN!
Missing those that can't be with us for whatever reason

WHY ARE THEY SHOWING THE OMEN? WHERE ARE ALL THE SPECIALS?

:) finding the 'perfect' present
:) seeing the smiles when someone opens your gift
:) good food!!!
:) getting lots of things you've been hoping for

:( missing my Grandma, who died last November
:( guy relatives are IMPOSSIBLE to buy for because they REFUSE to tell you what they want. they just say "oh, i don't need anything" ugh!!!
:( getting presents that you don't want or know what to do with

Let's hear some more ups and downs--I'm in the holiday mood!

:) Seeing my brother and sister-in-law, since I haven't seen them in two years.
:) FOOOOOOOOOD!
:) Giving (and getting!) presents
:) Breaking out my Japanese Christmas custom mix
:) The decorations

:( Not splurging because of weight gain
:( Long lines at the mall
:( Procrastinating until every possible gift is gone
:( Being broke, equaling being cheap and feeling awful about it

I am about to leave for my 1000 mile drive to San Francisco. Which is all fine and dandy except I CANNOT FIND MY CD PLAYER!!! There is no way in heaven or hell I will be without music in the mountains or the fields. I have no companions so I'd have to talk to myself or my stuffed goat.

All my siblings will be at home :D

I get to shop for new clothes :D

I can sit in front of the fireplace with my cat :D

I have to spend 30 hours in my car round trip :mad:

My University gives us the WHOLE WEEK OFF, don't be jealous!:p

I get AWAY from the snow :)

I have to be in close quarters with my mother :eek: If there are any matricide stories coming out of San Francisco involving red headed Norwegians...don't ask

:) Good food
:) A day off in the middle of the week
:) Family time

:( Holiday Traffic
:( Set-up, etc (I'm lazy;) )
:( Having to work the day after Thanksgiving
:( Hilday Traffic again

:D My hubby comes home on leave!
:D My baby's due, and I don't have to be pregnant anymore!

:) My five-year-old nephew is coming to visit, and he's NEVER seen snow! He's from South Texas, and we're in upstate NY!

:) I have a ton of family (my mom's twelve siblings and their families) coming in the next couple of days for Thanksgiving!

:( I'm pregnant, therefore, I am not allowed near the keg unless I'm pouring a beer for someone else!

aj

:) Alumnae Chapter Holiday Party
:) 5 days in Phoenix to relax and get a tan.

:( GETTING through the airport to GET to Phoenix
:( Coming up with something else to get my parents, who seem to have everything.
:( No SO, the holidays always seem to revolve around couples

:)
- finding the perfect gift for my brother
- the food!
- getting to sleep in for 3 weeks
- getting my braces off my teeth possibly

:(
- preparing for my wisdom teeth surgery (yea I am an oddball that has 6 of 'em)
- being within the same vicinity of my parents, especially my dad
- sharing a bathroom with my 16-year-old brother (GAROSS!)
- putting up with the raging hormones of a 16-year-old brother
- seeing crazy relatives (gosh I hate 'em)
- traffic (I live near Charlotte, NC so traffic is bad on an day-to-day basis anyways, so add holiday traffic . . . you get the picture)
- road rage (I think it gets worse during the holidays)

:) Family - everyone flies in from where ever it is they're living and we all have a blast!
:) The sights and sounds - I love looking at Christmas lights, I love hearing carols, I love the smell of home-made food, hot chocolate, baked goodies, pumpkin pie, chili, apple cider...etc.
:) Giving gifts - my favorite thing!!!

:( Long hours at work - either opening at 7, which means I have to be there at 6am, or closing at 10, which means we're there until 10 45.
:( Bad weather - I dislike snow over an inch in accumilation because people drive like freakin maniacs and generally are on my car's a$$
:( Grinches - you know the type (especially if you work in retail). All bow down to the grinch - I hope you get coal and a spanking you meanies!

:) Seeing the extended family.......
:) Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, and Christmas lights.......My best friend here (before he got himself a woman) used to drive around after we got done shopping, movie, eating, whatever and look at lights.
:) My gramma's pies (that I'm not supposd to eat technically but do anyway)
:) Christmas music on the radio
:) buying presents for others and my pets
:) Sales!!!!!!!
:( Getting things in the wrong sizes and having to take them back.
:( traffic on the main roads (causing you to take the back roads to get anywhere in a decent amount of time)
:( not being able to see everyone I want to see
:( being single at Christmas time really blows

:) Yummy food
:) All my friends being home from school
:) Playing with my puppy in the snow!
:) Sledding
:) $bucks holiday drinks

:( Having no money to buy my family nice stuff this year
:( Working hella long hours helping witchy women with sweaters
:( Not having Lee here
:( Christmas just not being happy for my family in general

Good:
Christmas songs, I love them! I started playing them about 2 weeks ago...starting early!
Yummy food
Getting presents
Christmas lights and trees and all those decorations
Christmas markets with Gluhwein (yummy warm spiced wine stuff)

Bad:
Not seeing any relatives for the holidays since I'm in Germany
Wishing it would snow
Trying to diet with all the yummy food floating around

I love Christmas!!! :D

:D
super food
an excuse to get out of town
shopping...
a chance to visit the parents
my mother fussing at me.
:(
a five hour drive through the mountains
school starting again on monday
my mother fussing at me.
i agree with others, it's hard to be single and kind of sad during the holidays