This time of the year is both exciting and stressful. Stressful because money is tight but we are taught this notion that Christmas is not Christmas unless we buy a bunch of presents. Growing up, I remember having dinner on Christmas Eve and then rushing over to the tree to open our presents (we couldn't wait). Christmas Day was when my oldest brother and family would come over and we had the big dinner with turkey and trimmings. I had no idea how much my parents spent or if they worried.
My husband has far different experiences. Being raised by a divorced mother, he felt every stressful and tense emotion from his mother, especially around Christmas. His mother tried to compensate by buying lots of inexpensive gifts to create an illusion of plenty.
Now that we are the parents, my husband feels bad if we don't have a multitude of gifts surrounding the tree. I try to remind him that quality is better than quantity. I also remind that we are broke because we are finally paying off our student loans so we are broke for a good reason. He knows this but sometimes old habits creep up.
The exciting part of the holidays is two weeks vacation from teaching and parties to attend! We attended the "Casino Royale" party at my neighbor's house. Even though I didn't know most of the people it was fun to inneract with random and kind strangers. It was also fun to "gamble" at blackjack and craps. Later, I drank a type of German schnapps (yummm) and chatted with the "dealer" Daniel who was one of the other party goers that ended up teaching the rest of us how to play the games. We talked about the importance of good conversation, good company, and good food. All the best parts of the Christmas holidays....
What are your best memories of the holidays?
About Me
- katcoll
- My goals for the future is to obtain a teaching/librarian job, lose weight, own a house, and to travel the world.
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