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Holiday whine/vent long
Just skyped with my Mom (and sorta sister and nephews as they ran around the house) since Mom is at the sibling's house. My other sibling and his SO are headed there this weekend.
I MISS MY FAMILY!!! Ok- I know I'm a grown up and all but this is hard. Between this surgery, a very stressful time at work and everything else I know staying with H to be with his family this holiday is the right thing. We have a tree, lights up, and a pointsettia on the table.
But honestly this is the first Christmas I've ever been away from my family and the difference between having 3 under 4 running around with 7 adults plus randoms (our family always had someone additional over- a service person, a widow, college student, priest, or whomever) or just 5 (mostly quiet) adults is kinda huge.
So we started the alternating holiday thing this year- we did a CA Thanksgiving and an at home/his family Christmas. I just miss my boisterous family so much. H said I could go if I wanted (he couldn't) but I know the best thing is to start alternating and I wasn't going to spend our first Christmas married with me traveling.
So we are trying to think of new traditions and ways to make it special. No real ideas yet- some new... new tree skirt from his mom, some old... putting the angel on the tree Christmas Eve.
Oh and my mom totally told me what our Christmas presents from my sister are inadvertently and it was hilarious to hear the Moooooom! from across the house over skype. Okay time to crash- it was so great to talk to them- glad H said to stay up and try and catch them.
Re: Holiday whine/vent long
I know how you feel
Last Christmas was my first Christmas not spent with my mom. I was with DH's family in LA, and while it was nice, it wasn't home, and it wasn't what I was used to.
Then this year I moved from NC to CO. Even when I was in NC my family was a 5 hour drive away, but I could see them any weekend I wanted to. I haven't seen my mom since June and I'm SUPER homesick
I can't get in the Christmas spirit and I've been a total grinch this year because nothing feels "normal".
We alternate holidays and spent Thanksgiving with DH's family, so we're flying out this weekend to see my family for Christmas :-D
I don't think you're ever too old to be homesick, but hopefully it'll get easier every year!
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I'm sorry I know with everything you have going on right now that this makes it so much harder. It will get better and I'm sure having skype or webcam helps because at least then you can see them.
I am super grateful that H's family and my family live in the same town so that makes things easier on us. Although it does make it a busy day for us traveling everywhere. My dad does live out of town but I was never really at his house for the holidays.
I know H and I got lucky with this so my heart goes out to you and anyone else who has to travel or miss their family on Christmas. But I do hope you feel better soon and enjoy Christmas.
I'm with your girl! H and I are alone this year too as my parents fly out tomorrow to spend the holiday with my sister and her family. I can totally relate to you. I told my sister last night that I didn't think it would hit me this hard, but it really is. It even hit my hubby last night too. My family does a lot of traditional things and just spend a lot of time hanging out and having probably far too much fun. His family is in CA so we are most decidedly alone this year. Odd feeling, but we're going to make the best of it. I ran to Walmart today to pick up some things and found this really silly Christmas shirts so I got one for H and myself and figured I'll give him his and we'll wear this ridiculous shirts all day and remind ourselves that it's Christmas! He'll get a kick out of it.
Try to look at it this way: next year when you are all together it will be that much more wonderful and special because you miss them all this year. That is how I am choosing to look at this so hopefully that will help!
H spend Christmas 2010 with my family, then Christmas 2011 was the first Christmas I spent away from my family. It was hard, and I really missed my family. We will continue to alternate the holidays between my family and H's. MIL and FIL say they will come here for the holidays once we have kids, but they have been saying they are going to visit since July... here we are in December with no visit.
It sucks not spending the holidays with your family, but at least you will have H, and it will be special to spend your first Christmas as husband and wife.
I hear you! Growing up we spent the majority of my Christmas's with my mom's side of the family (becaues they are a lot closer) which meant between 20-80 people any given christmas and always lots of kids....even as a kid it was hard when we had christmas with my dad's side because that meant just us and my grandmand and my dad's sister and her husband...no other kids, and pretty quiet.
Honestly christmas by myself has become more of the norm over the last 7 years as my family goes away every year and I was working retail (and now shelter) and couldn't get that week off for anything...and I agree it sucks...at least now I have hubs (and his parents..he's an only child, and they don't spend much time with reletives) to spend it with! So look at the bright side and use the time to build your relationships with your in-laws and like you said...make some new traditions. Also my mom's family have started doing a "christmas in august" 2 years running and thats been really nice for those of us who cant make it in december as theres more and more of us who are now married and have to make time for the other side...the long weekend in augest makes us still feel like we get that special family time as EVERYONE tries to make it to the lake that weekend! (We get really corny about it too, put up decorations, play white elephant, have bbq'd turkey with all the fixings....) Maybe setting some time aside at another time of your to spend with your side EVERY year might be a good way to make a different kind of christmas every other year easier to stomach?
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