Christmas is coming, and I'm not going home

[Jean Louise Finch]

This isn't to be one of these posts about having to deal with fundie relatives, though I certainly feel very badly for all of you. I am a lucky one with a picture perfect family, not Christian but we celebrate Christmas anyway.

No, indeed, this thread is about being away from home for the holidays. I'm 25 years old and this is my very first Christmas away from home...before you feel badly for me, my parents and brother are coming to me, along with my boy's parents and sister (marking a first meeting between families). The families are coming to us in Bangkok, and it promises to be a beach/temple/market/massage-filled good time. So, I'm not looking for, or really worthy of, sympathy (we're even spending Christmas itself in Chiang Mai so I'll actually need long sleeves).

The point of this post is to drag out of you the things you miss from being at home for the holidays. I already miss the tree tradition in my house: up until this year, every year, my dad takes my brother and I out into the woods, and both the bro and I get to pick one tree that we like, and my dad cuts them down (well, we kids do it lately). Then we collect a few other branches here and there and we duct tape them all together in an elaborate sculptural process at home in the garage. We've perfected the art over the years.

(And before you accuse me of tree massacre: we carefully pick our trees so that we're thinning out an area to let some others grow bigger, and the branches are never integral to the whole. My brother's an ecologist: the selection process takes a while.)

Anyway, what do you miss from home? What are you looking forward to this year? Am trying to get in the spirit, but it's so damn hot here that it's rather difficult.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. I experienced my first Christmas away from home in 2001 ...

I was living in Germany at the time . I was 21 years old at the time . I also spent Christmas there in 2002 and 2003 . This will be my first Christmas at home since 2000 . But yeah I was sad - but I was spending it / living with my then boyfriend/now ex-fiance and his family , but still , I was missing my family members and just the feeling that we always have at Christmas . I was thousands of miles away and when I called them on the telephone , I could hear the children in the background and it was so hard for me to hold back the tears - I just could not bear it anymore , so when I hung up the phone I sat beside the phone and just cried lol . I laugh now but it was just bittersweet .

Its hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit - because my heart is singing " All I Want For Christmas ( Is You ) " - matters of the heart . Materials things don't phase me anymore as a 24 year old . There is one thing that I want for Christmas this year ... sigh .

[Skittles]

2. I haven't spent a Christmas at home in 30 years

it's no big deal and there's nothing I miss about it

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. My first Christmas alone

happened years ago. I don't even remember what I did, but I know that it started my habit of really not celebrating that holiday. I never had a tree, hate Christmas cards, and feel gifts are more of an obligation than something that speaks from the heart. I've attended Solstace parties, and may do that again this year, but basically I look at this time as cold and dark. Only good thing is that it is a time to snuggle with my beloved husband, and that is always good!