Dec 16 2008
Having the Holiday Blues?
I’m feeling a bit nostalgic today, but not yet melancholic. I guess it has finally set in that for the first time in the six years I have lived here in Texas, I will not make it home to North Carolina for Christmas this year. I still don’t think my mother has accepted it… bless her heart… sorry, Mom.
I hear of people going through a blues period during the holidays. We have: 1. soldiers at war being separated from their families, 2. economic uncertainty affecting long-distance travel and spending, and 3. fears of losing more jobs forcing people to forgo taking a holiday vacation in lieu of spending time with family. It’s no wonder I hear that symptoms of depression rise during this holiday season. Well, today I am missing my own family, but I am not going to let that get me down.
Instead of dwelling on it and possibly feeling worse, I am going to focus on a few things to bring my spirit up. If you are experiencing the holiday blues, I encourage you to make a list of positive things in your life to focus on during this time, as well.
1. Even though it was my grandmother’s funeral that made us make the trip to NC in October, we had a chance to spend time with my family for a full week. I was able to take more pictures during that visit to use on my blog reminisce on the great time we had.
2. We are moving from this small apartment to a more spacious home next week. I cannot tell you how THRILLED I am about this. Heck, I even had a dream about it last night!
3. One of my best buds and her family (complete with two-month-old twins) decided to stick around town this year instead of going home to Mississippi. We will bring our families together and share Christmas dinner. Maybe even New Year’s.
4. We can actually save money and travel after the new year. Airline flights are steadily going down. They should go down even more by the time we visit again…which hopefully, won’t be too long from now.
5. Modern technology has made keeping in touch easier. We have web cams and camera cell phones that will help us share in the joy of this holiday season.
The featured picture is of my brother, my daughter, my nephew, and me. It was taken during our October 2008 trip to NC. Ah, the memories.
My husband sent me a picture that made me a little sad yesterday. I have it on my blog (you know where to find it). It made me a little sad to see my daughter standing there and to realize, *sniff*, that this was my last baby and I wasn’t going to catch it all myself.
But Lee’s there to catch it. She’s happy and healthy as is the rest of my family. And I’m lucky to have so much time with all of them.
You are moving next week? Christmas week? Oh wow! Talk about stressful!
~Kelly
http://www.30somethingandsearching.today.com/
Sure, moving on Christmas week is tough, but, really, how do you top that as a present?
I’ve nominated you for a Lemonade Award. Lemonade Awards are a way to spread link love and promote blogs of interest. I’m a paralegal-turned-SEO-writer and blogger, so your blog seemed a logical choice.
My Lemonade Award post, with a link to your blog, is at:
http://writerwahm.today.com/2008/12/17/lemonade-awards-work-at-home-and-freelance-writing-blogs/
@ Stacy– Yep. Web cams are great! We ship gifts for birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s day, and any other special day we pick. We’ll probably wait until after Christmas to ship gifts this year though.
@ Makingmoney– Thanks. Enjoy every moment you can with your family.
@ Stephanie– That is a lovely photo of your girl. I’m sorry you won’t catch all of your darling’s special moments, but glad you’re focusing on how happy and healthy she is.
And, you’re right! I’m looking at our move as a big Christmas present.
@ Kara– Thanks. I try to make lists for everything. They help me keep things in perspective. That’s a good tip. I pray constantly for my family’s safety and wellness even when I’m not there.
I’m always flattered when someone continues a discussion on his or her blog that I started here–even more when they link to my post! Awesome. No objections. Do it often!
@ Kelly– Moving is supposed to be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life.
The good thing is that we have our apartment until the end of the month. So, we don’t have to rush and do everything right away (even though I want to!). We can take our time and do it in a week.
@ Liza– I’m glad you and your siblings are able to keep in touch through technology today. I don’t know how they did it via boat and horse-n-buggy ages ago. I’ll go check out your lil’ something.
@ JenaJera– Oh, good. Thanks for the Lemonade Award. I’ll check it out.
@ Paulsheathblog– First time in 9 years! Wow. You got me beat. Hopefully, no one is bursting into tears every time you mention it (like my mom is). It’s good that you’re already planning for the summer trip to the beach. Man, I miss east coast beaches…
@ Nicole– Thanks. Have I said this enough–”I can’t wait to move”?
I know Katie puts things in perspective for you. Children have a special way of making us learn how to cherish every moment.
@ Cyramiles– Merry Christmas, to you as well! What do we have if we don’t have family?