FESTIVE SEASON STRUGGLES

[Doolhof]

Season's Greetings everyone.

We have a lovely cheery Christmas and New Years thread started up in the Social Zone. Hope you can drop by there and share some joy and happiness.

This is the alternate thread, where you can share the not so pleasant memories of Christmas or the concerns you may have for Christmas 2016.

For me, my depressive brain decides to hassle me about Christmas in November! That is so unnecessary! I need to break this habit!

So on this thread you can share the negative and hopefully find a positive at the end.

You might like to share what the worst present was that you ever received, or how sad and miserable you are at Christmas.

By sharing, we may well be able to help and support each other through a time that can be very tough for some.

This is the place to vent, the thread on the Social Zone is also waiting for you to add your happy thoughts and memories of Christmas and New Years.

Thinking of you all, hugs from Mrs. Dools

[Starwolf]

Well, there you go...This change of profile photo came through just in time !

First, a quick grab at the offender and a crocodile roll. You know what happened next...enjoy !

[Moonstruck]

Ah, so you reckon Christmas won't find you Star...won't sniff you out hey? Be careful sweetheart....it's probably spying on you right now, through binoculars or something....or a drone......see any drones up there in the sky near your wilderness? Yep, that's Christmas checking you out.....make sure you shut all the doors, windows and curtains....even then, it tends to seep through the cracks at you......I love your German Shepherd...what a smart dog!!

[Kazzl]

Hahaha, love that Moon. The Attack of the Christmas Drones! I can imagine them on Christmas Day zooming through the bush after Star, playing White Christmas, dangling plum pudding in her face and dive bombing her with tinsel. Just you wait Star, you'll see - no one escapes Christmas ...

I could do with a drone to do my shopping. Where can I get one?

Cheers and jingle balls

Kaz

[Doolhof]

Good morning everyone,

Only about 20 more days until 2017 kicks in! Yah.

Yesterday we were at a Christmas luncheon for one of the clubs my husband is involved in.

Apart from the delicious ham, Christmas cake and the giving out of Christmas cards, you would not have really known it was a Christmas party. No tree, no decorations, no carols playing.

It was a lovely event, relaxing, everyone friendly and chatty, plenty of food, casual and enjoyable.

Now, if I could bottle that and sprinkle it over a family Christmas event, It would be wonderful! Ha. Ha.

Cheers all, and don't forget to look for those tinsel draped, plum pudding dumping drones!

[girl_interrupted]

Hi Mrs D and everyone,

StarWolf, your wildnerness and isolation sounds lovely - peace and quiet this time of year is rare, so enjoy it. As long as it's not too isolating (which has the opposite effect!) My dog also brings me a lot of joy. He's a shredder as well - tears toys to bits in seconds. Even those big tire things with the long rope - gone in a matter of days lol. I must buy him some new toys. It'll be fun watching him get excited with a new activity.

Moon, it's impossible to escape the madness! The only relief I can think of is somewhere remote like StarWolf or even Mrs D's Bali idea. One day, I would love to see snow and experience a white Christmas. There's something magical about snow falling... This year I will be seeing the xmas lights with my family (we drive around looking at all the best houses advertised)- that's about the only thing that gives me joy about xmas.

Shred, I hear you! Xmas - stands for kiss my A! haha. I'm sorry you have such a hard time over the festive season - but it is definitely good to help out those less fortunate. Seeing someone's face light up when they have had very little or nothing to hope for, it's a wonderful feeling being able to give them comfort and a little bit of cheer. Your niece sounds like she's really good for you. It's great that you have someone who you can spend time with, who doesn't judge you and just accepts you as you are.

Kazzl I wish someone would do my shopping for me lol. Mind you I only have a couple of gifts to get, but I just have no idea. Soaps and coffee cups are just too cliche. Yep I think there should be a market for "hired gift buyers" I reckon they'd make a killing. Pay someone to go out and do the hard work for you.

I've decided 2017 is going to be a better year. I will challenge myself not to be miserable and depressed and make more effort to be thankful for the things I have. I'm trying to get my xmas cards sorted, but absolutely dreading lining up at the post office - there's never a good time, it's always busy. I just have no energy and the more I think about it the more depressed and anxious I get. Then I think bugger it I won't bother, I'll just send out a more personal email to a few people. I mean really, xmas cards have more sentiment but we throw them out every year so what's the point? Sorry I'm being so negative. I hope everyone is coping ok with the xmas stress x

[Starwolf]

A sensible, enjoyable Xmas party...glad you could experience this rare event. Kinda refreshing...and good to know they do exist.

Tinsel wrapped drones...what a scary thought. Could be a horror movie scenario. Enough to make me crawl down a wombat hole bunker. But nah, I'm safe. Done this no Xmas thing before. Thank heavens for the dense tree cover. Should the odd drone fall through, it would go the way the Santa toy did...destroyed before it could hit the ground. It would take a long drive from here to become a target and that...is not going to happen during that week.

Can't avoid shopping trips into town leading up to it though. I'm grateful for the hour and a half + it takes to psych myself up to it. But I still curse and sigh at the first set of traffic lights...

Jingle balls ? Kaz, you crack me up...

[Kazzl]

One tries Star, one tries. 😄

Hey - a tip for geting through stuff that makes you angry at Christmas ... has anyone seen the Specsavers ad with the young woman teaching an anger management class? Before she ends up losing it herself she tells the class she's going to teach them how to turn their anger into a 'beautiful swan'.

That's become my hubby's and my catch phrase for calming down. When one of us starts to get edgy, the other says 'beautiful swan, beautiful swan'. People must have thought we were mad in The Shops this morning ... blaring Christmas carol - 'beautiful swan', annoying kids - 'beautiful swan', numpty service staff - 'beautiful swan'. It works because eventually you have to laugh.

Cheers, and may all your thoughts be beautiful swans.

Kaz

[Shred1106]

Hey there all

Just when I thought I had enough anniversaries to work through I get news of an old workmate (old job but only 45 years of age) who passed away last night in hospital. My distress at losing another good soul is hard to manage...a great worker who gave an awful lot and went above and beyond.

It's not fair - she leaves behind three beaut kids and a husband.

I wish I felt well enough to pop out and see them (they are about 40klms away)..

So Bah Humbug strikes yet again - I feel like I have been tested enough this year and during the festive season.

My niece and I spent an hour at the shops today and I hated it...she is so calming for me and very patient...Unfortunately we ran into some people I didn't want to deal with either so she piped up and just said We have to keep going - sorry. Wise beyond her years!

Mum's anniversary is Friday and I have appointments booked - just gotta work through it all huh.

Oh yeah - and someone put up mistletoe outside a shopping plaza! Can you believe it! So not into that either!!!

Shred out

[Doolhof]

Dear Shred,

Hi. I am so sorry to read that a person you cared for has recently died. If you don't feel up to visiting the family, maybe you could phone them. Sending a card is also a way of letting people know you are thinking of them.

If possible, you might be able to catch up with the children in the New Year. One thing with grief is that loved ones of the person who dies, keep on suffering while others move on with their lives. It may mean the world to the children to know that someone cares enough to catch up with them in the New Year.

Words evade me at the moment regarding your Mum's anniversary on Friday. I wish I had the words to share to help ease your grief and sense of loss. Maybe you could light a candle in her honour.

Hopefully your appointments will go okay.

Thinking of you and sending you some hugs,

From Mrs. Dools

[Doolhof]

Today's Riding for the Disabled was the last lesson for the year. Someone had bought decorative antlers for the horses and ponies. A couple of the horses were not impressed and kept shaking their heads. I was thinking to myself, "I know a few people who feel exactly the same way". Ha. Ha.

Some of the ladies were walking around playing Christmas carols on their mobile phones. One of the students really seemed to enjoy the music and he was smiling. He actually stayed on the horse for the whole of the lesson, he seemed to enjoy the music.

One lady had decorated up her horse with tinsel and she was wearing a Santa suit. The children loved this idea. It was so special to see their smiles today.

Today it was lovely to share some Christmas spirit with the children.

The lady in the Santa suit was doing exceptionally well also as it was about 30 degrees! Mrs. Santa must have been melting!

A bit of snow would have been welcome out there today!

Hey, mistletoe, I thought that was for New Year's Eve. Next thing we will be hanging Easter Eggs on the Christmas trees. Then again, they will just melt so that is not such a good idea!

Cheers all from Mrs. Dools