Hey Woofa’s,

Well it’s only 2 more sleeps now until Christmas Day!!

How fast has the year gone?

Today was my last working day, as much as I love what I do, it’s also great to have a break.

The last of the hustle and bustle will be happening tomorrow.

I pride myself on being super organised for Christmas but this year I let it slide a little.  I still have to wrap Dean and Billy’s presents!!!!

You Don’t have to be a Grinch to hate Christmas!

We got some really sad news last Sunday, the father of my best friend’s children died from a heart attack at 42 years of age.

We all went to school together, and while they are divorced it was all still very civil and friendly for the kids.

So Friday night we had the Wake and Saturday was the Funeral Service and Burial.

I’m not telling you this to get you down, I’m telling you this because it hit me at the Wake.

Christmas isn’t always a happy time for some people.

This year our street had two tragedies;  one neighbour’s son died at age 24 and another neighbour’s daughter died (leaving a husband and kids behind) at aged 35!!!

One of my customer’s husband passed away as well this year.

We lost my cousin just after Christmas, a few years ago.

It’s important to acknowledge that Christmas doesn’t always mean fun times for everyone.

Some people really struggle with Christmas time, they may not have family or friends, they may have lost someone etc.  For whatever reason, it is hard.

Losing fur kids and having to celebrate without them is hard too.  This year alone I sent out 25 sympathy cards to customers who have lost their fur babies.

For whatever reason some people just can’t do Christmas, and that’s okay.

Then other’s are riddled with stress over stuff that’s not really all that important, not enough to get an ulcer over anyway!!!

Silly Causes of Christmas Stress

• the present shopping,
• the food shopping,
• whether to send cards or not,
• what to buy people,
• who is coming for Christmas lunch, or
• bitching about who isn’t coming for Christmas lunch/dinner or
• who is having it this year
• getting the house ready
• making sure the yard is tidy and clean
• making sure the house is decorated alright
• what food to serve
• what desserts to serve
• will we all sit down to eat at the table
• will there be enough chairs, plates, cutlery etc
• wrapping the presents (oh the sticky tape)
• making sure the animals stay away from the tree
• making sure the kids stay away from the tree
• will we do a Kris Kringle or not
• what if so and so doesn’t like this or that

I could go on and on and on.  Sometimes we can tie ourselves up in knots over Christmas and really it’s over nothing.

I was guilty of this last year when we had Christmas Day here, and this year having attended a Funeral and watching a whole family grieve over their loss, the above seems so menial.

What’s more important is spending the time with family and friends that you love.

The Real Struggle of Christmas! 

• deep soul wrenching heartache
• mourning
• crying oceans of tears
• wishes of loved ones being with them again
• wanting to yell and scream at others for being happy
• isolation
• hurt
• anger
• hate
• deep sadness you feel you’re never coming back from
• feeling like nothing you do will take away the pain
• everything is just black
• numbness
• just going through the motions like a robot (or an out of body experience.

I could go on and on but I won’t, you get the drift.

If you know someone or are someone who finds Christmas hard, don’t do it.  Do what you need to do to get through it one minute at a time.

I was speaking to my customer who lost her husband this year, and she usually talks about all the decorations she’s putting up (with her husband rolling his eyes behind her knowing he has to put it all up).

This year she’s not putting anything up and she was worried what others would think.

I suggested she not worry about others, and just do what she needed to do to get through this time of year.

It’s no-one else’s business, the important thing is doing or not doing what helps you.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

I’d like others to acknowledge that for some people Christmas time is really hard to get through.

Don’t judge whether someone puts up decorations or not, or whether Christmas makes them cry, they’re working through their own stuff.

Be kind, show them your Christmas Spirit, it may be a little bit of light they need in a dark tunnel.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – How You’re Doing This Christmas?

Cheers