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Sunday, December 27, 2009

Can We Cancel Christmas?

Christmas is meant to fun, right?

There was a little bit of fun in my Christmas...like waking to my boy calling out from his room, "That's just what I wanted!"....like watching my kids faces when they were opening their presents...like getting to see every member of both of our families over three days...like getting a big, fancy breakfast at a 4 star resort on Boxing Day...like the kids playing Santa around the Christmas tree and clapping and cheering every time someone opened a present.

But, honestly, most of the time it wasn't much fun, it was just a whole lot of bother...yeah, go on, call me Ebenezer Scrooge, I probably deserve it!

This was my Three Day Christmas Event :-

Christmas Morning - wake at 5am, kids open presents from Santa & us around Christmas tree, have breakfast, get dressed, pack car, leave at 8:50am for 1 hour drive to in-laws.
Christmas Day - Arrive at in-laws 10am, whole family gathering (8 adults, 6 kids), presents, Christmas lunch (prawns, cold meats, hot ham, salads...yum), check into 4 star resort (no room at the inn in-laws), back to in-laws house, finally get 2 year old to nap while everyone else goes to the beach, 5 year old trips on towel after swim and face plants into concrete sidewalk (blood, tears, bruising, grazes, swollen lip, the whole bit), BBQ dinner, back to 4 star resort to sleep.
Boxing Day - Breakfast at resort, pack and check out, back to in-laws home for swim in the pool, pack and drive 2 hours to my family home with whole family (8 adults, 8 kids), presents, Christmas dinner (number 2 - prawns, cold meats, salads...yum), get all kids to sleep, enjoy a few wines & chat with my sister.
Day after Boxing Day - Up at 6am, pack picnic lunches, pack the car, extended family Christmas get together (22 adults, 13 kids) at my brother's place (next door), farewell everyone, 3 hour drive back home.

This may be some peoples' idea of fun (yes, hello my dear sister who reads this, I am talking about you xx) but for me, an introvert who is totally drained by people....I'm totally drained!!

And I'm thinking, most Christmases include:-

1.  Too many presents
2.  Too much food
3.  Too many drinks
4.  An accident...and...
5.  An incident (as in...an argument, a blow-up, a drunken family member...you get the drift?)

We had 3/5.  That's a pass.

So, how was your Christmas?

5 comments:

  1. Two years ago we had 5/5, this year we had 0/5, which is a bonus. But Christmas is about kids and catching up with family. Just remember when your children grow up that your type of Christmas will change. "Enjoy" it while you can as children grow up far too quickly...in an istant really and you wonder where the time has gone. Yeah, I have a 14 year old and an 18 year old and I wonder where the last 15 years have gone.

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  2. pretty low key actually! In fact, think we were ripped off, can't remember the fight????? There is always a fight....
    No accident - butyes..... too much food and I am the size of 10 houses now and back to square one. Over indulgence in anything is never a good thing me thinks - and for that reason I do think xmas is overrated.

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  3. Yup - I'm very much the same
    We had 1. The rental car that wouldn't accelerate - going down the freeway and up the wetgate bridge at 40 km/hr is scary (seriously), 2.a voicemail from my parents 3. Children fighting multiple times 4. Massive argument 5. distinct lack of presents I actually wanted...which you know is fine and all, but some thought into it might have been nice...enough of the winge - hope you can now have a nice rest *hug*

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  4. Well no real over indulgences here, just a quiet, relaxed Christmas at home with mum and dad and brother and sisters! Hope ur boy is ok now! X

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  5. I love Christmas!!!! Though I am enjoying a quiet morning reading blogs letting kids play quietly letting hubby sleep in! But you're right - I'm an extravert I thrive on people, noise, bustle. Sad that you don't enjoy it as much as me. Enjoy your quiet after Christmas relax. xx

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