Christmas is over for another year. Done and dusted. No more feeling guilty and regretting all that we have done wrong that led to loved ones not being at our table. Gone the debacle of where to spend Christmas, who to offend or not offend, who can take it or not. If we are parents, we want our kids to come home or ring or spend time acknowledging us in some way. If we are kids, grown up or not, we want our parents with us, or to do as we wish. The fact that we are both and want it all is both devastating and very funny.
Even the most positive of people are prone to depression on the annual celebration of Jesus’s birth. Even without drugs, alcohol or other addictive substances, even the most calm of us can spend the day second guessing why we haven’t heard from those we love. What happened to them, what have we done wrong? The simple, sane answer is most likely that they have a life, they are busy and they will get to us when they can. After all, we should apply the same logic to others we apply to ourselves. As I said in my earlier Christmas post, television advertisements, television shows and movies of all families being together over Christmas have a lot of answer for.
I know some people plan to travel over the Christmas break, overseas and far away and so staying sane and away from all the Christmas hype. That wouldn’t work though, there would still be family who want to spend time together. Now there is nothing wrong with that. Despite my apparent lack of empathy with certain situations, or rather lack of positive family experiences, I think I have come up with a solution.
My ideal perfect world, win a lot of money scenario would be this. I choose a random day, not a birthday, holiday or any other kind of celebration, and name it family day (Clayton’s Christmas). I choose a destination bound to excite and enthral all family members. I invite them to travel to join me at that venue, holiday resort, cruise, the details to be filled in later. We meet, same day, different venue each year, to celebrate family, as dysfunctional, and wonderful as it is.
Scenario number two, for those who still can’t be convinced this is a good idea, and when I win even more money. Have a second tentative day or a day for each family member and spend with them at the venue of their choice. Of course I realise as well as expensive it would be longer than a day when you add travel and sightseeing time.
My last scenario, a little cheaper and maybe more realistic all things considered. Plan to travel to each family member’s home or home town once a year, more or less, and spend time together. Now that doesn’t sound difficult but as we all know something always gets in the way. Unforeseen circumstances, costs, car troubles, all sound like excuses when others offer these reasons, but very real when it happens to us.
Not sure whether this is a new year’s resolution, a bucket list or a plan, but a positive plan, and a to do list for the new year is much more positive than moaning about things not going as we wish. So yes, Christmas is over, today is another day, a brand new day. Love, laugh, forgive, move forward, plan, smile, take care.