Upside/downside of the holidays

[carnation]

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?

[justamom]

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?

[cash78mere]

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

[carnation]

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

[GPhiLlama]

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

[aurora_borealis]

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

I get to shop for new clothes

I can sit in front of the fireplace with my cat

I have to spend 30 hours in my car round trip

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

I get AWAY from the snow

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

[Thrillhouse]

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

[ajuhdg]

My hubby comes home on leave!
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

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

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)

[Hootie]

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!

[ThetaPrincess24]

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

[GeekyPenguin]

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

[TigerLilly]

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!!!

[mmcat]

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