Flanman 2,472 Posted December 11, 2020 Report Share Posted December 11, 2020 Christmas Day means a lot of different things to people - presents, food/drinks, loneliness, celebration, family, happy times, loss, sadness, the birth of Christ, reflection, the end of the year, moving to next year, F**k all, mixed emotions. Our Christmas Day will be just a little different. A bigger gathering at our place - 14 all up. We have a few different people coming:- A couple who have had two of their children move to QLD (first time without them at Christmas for 25 years); Two of my wife's family that we haven't celebrated Christmas with for about 10 years, and another single lady who is near 60 and would have been "home alone". Food and chat by the truckload. So what's your Christmas looking like ? FM 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bored@work 4,121 Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 I always go for a ride on Christmas Day. The rule is for every hour I spend at the in-laws is an hour I’m allowed to ride. 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fiftyplus 94 Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 As usual, Christmas is at our place. My wife, who is a good cook, always goes overboard with the food when we have visitors and this year we have our three sons, from Sydney and Dubbo, partners, and our two grandchildren coming to stay, which will be great. Unfortunately this year is going to be a time of mixed emotions as it’s probably the last time they will see their grandmother, my wife’s mother, who has pancreatic cancer and with the stepfather usually come for the family get together. They live nearby and its been a stressful few weeks as her health has declined and their is no guarantee that she will be around or well enough to attend. As Boxing Day is my wife’s birthday, we are hoping she will make it past Christmas by a bit as we don’t want a bad memory for this time of year. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ironnerd 886 Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 Myself, my oldest daughter and my son will all be at different mine sites on Christmas day. My wife and middle daughter will be the only ones in Perth on Christmas day. They will spend the day with my wife's family. We will set up a time for a combined video call that we all dial into. For me it will be a normal work day. 12 hour shift, go for a run in the freezing cold and go to bed. The bar is not open on a Friday, so hopefully I will be able to have a drink on Boxing Day if I am not on call. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KieranR 1,956 Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 I’ll be at work from 0600 to 1800, then dinner at a friends place, wife and kids will already be there from early afternoon in the pool. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FatPom 5,413 Posted December 13, 2020 Report Share Posted December 13, 2020 (edited) Just the three of us at home for Xmas Day. Sister and grown up nephews are going to Mums for Xmas, so we are staying away due to room and safety but Mum and Sister coming to us for some of Boxing Day because it’s Llittle One’s birthday. Edited December 13, 2020 by FatPom 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronnie 131 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 We will have our main meal Christmas Eve as my eldest will be working nights on Christmas day. She will join us for breakfast then head home to sleep for the day. So just my other 2 daughters and I. My boy will be at work so will see him and his girl this weekend and then closer to the new year. The girls will be in and out through the day though seeing friends and what not, i'll see my sister and her family, and my mum and step dad will be here for a couple of days too. Boxing Day I'll see Bretts family, who are not doing as well as my kids and I. Hubby was a bit of a Grinch, so the girls and I are excited to see what we can do and to make some new traditions for us. We said last year that we would only allow ourselves one sad Christmas and we were lucky that it came so quickly after He left us. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dalai 449 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 Glad you have family and friends around Ronnie. Christmas time is just a matter of survival since I lost my wife... I was always indifferent about Christmas, it was Paulette who enjoyed decorating the tree and house with her parents which was a yearly tradition. She was an only child and since she passed away her father hasn't been to our house once even though they live only a few km away. He still hasn't and I doubt ever will come to accept his child has passed away... So the tree and decorations stay in the roof every Christmas since. We still spent the 25th together, but always been somewhere else rather than either of our homes and isn't a day of joy as it should be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MissJess 694 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 My parents in Echuca this year. Last year was at home by ourselves (had his sister and partner come over). Dalai, do you have any friends that offer an invite? I was solo in 2017, I had a friend who invited a bunch of us over who were "orphaned". My relationship change was so close to Christmas that I had no time to sort out a trip to Melbourne to see my parents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Del 487 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 (edited) I’ll be getting up at 5am for a few k swim in the dam then off to Xmas parkrun with friends. Then home for presents (4x GP5000 & new Hokas) with my wife and daughter before heading to my brother’s to drink his beer, eat lunch and lay around his pool. Dinner at my mum-in-law’s who’s a master chef. Probably put on 3kg for the day and will need a nap at some stage. Edited December 16, 2020 by Mike Del 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flanman 2,472 Posted December 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Dalai said: Glad you have family and friends around Ronnie. Christmas time is just a matter of survival since I lost my wife... I was always indifferent about Christmas, it was Paulette who enjoyed decorating the tree and house with her parents which was a yearly tradition. She was an only child and since she passed away her father hasn't been to our house once even though they live only a few km away. He still hasn't and I doubt ever will come to accept his child has passed away... So the tree and decorations stay in the roof every Christmas since. We still spent the 25th together, but always been somewhere else rather than either of our homes and isn't a day of joy as it should be. I think of you at Christmas time due to your situation. My original words had you and Ronnie specifically in mind. You stay safe mate. FM 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronnie 131 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 6 hours ago, Dalai said: Glad you have family and friends around Ronnie. She was an only child and since she passed away her father hasn't been to our house once even though they live only a few km away. He still hasn't and I doubt ever will come to accept his child has passed away... Thanks Dalai. We do what we do to get through each day right. Bretts Mum couldn't come out to Collinsville after He left. And even struggles with our house here in Townsville. There are so many obstacles to overcome that you don't think about. You look after yourself. X 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dalai 449 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 @MissJess no friends in a similar situation and few friends. I am introverted so most of our friends were Paulette's. And of those only a few stayed in touch after she passed away... Will still spend time with her parents on the 25th, even if just organising a picnic lunch somewhere away from either their or my house. If they get an invite to catch up with siblings I said to take it and I will just keep myself busy and get through the day. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayto 657 Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 It was really only the kids that made Christmas anything special to me. Now that I haven't seen them for so long, it really is just another day. It will just be Bel and I Christmas day and we were originally going to have a quiet one, before travelling down to Gippsland on Boxing day, but we just had a conversation a couple of nights ago and realised we are wasting a day. So looks like we will be packing up the van Christmas morning and heading off a day early, so we should be set up overlooking the water by mid afternoon! 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slowman 352 Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 I have 2 sets of children and if we can't get together on Christmas Day itself we usually have the big dinner on Christmas Eve, which half the world do anyway. It's usually turkey plus maybe a ham or a roast leg of pork with crackling. This year I am tempted to go with a leg of lamb! The meal itself I guess is not really that important it's the people. I am fairly fortunate when I look around at others in my situation that have divorced that we were always focused on our children and what was best for them and put our differences aside (most of the time!). I know it doesn't always work out that way and I hear the pain that causes when the children get used like pawns in a battle between the parents. For those in that situation I'm truly sorry, all I can say is keep training, do the right thing and keep trying to put aside your differences and some day the children, possibly when they're adults will come around. One of my good friends is going through this "process" right now and I'm not sure this will be a great Christmas for him. I found training and racing put some semblance of a future in front of me when I was going through this myself and albeit a somewhat narrower future it still provided moments to look forward to and kept the blues at bay and kept me getting out of bed every day. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-H- 1,240 Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 5 hours ago, Ayto said: So looks like we will be packing up the van Christmas morning and heading off a day early, so we should be set up overlooking the water by mid afternoon! Much better travelling on Christmas day instead of Boxing Day if you can. Boxing Day is a nightmare. I sometimes fly to my sister's on Christmas morning and there's nobody around 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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