Posted on 12/18/2015 11:24:24 PM PST by Allaloneonxmas
Due to really bad family dysfunction I'm staying at my apartment alone on Christmas. It's the most difficult thing one can do. You just never, ever adjust to it.
First of all, I suspect that you may be a long-time FReeper by another name, who wants to be anonymous while asking for help. You must have seen something worthy in us FReepers to have chosen us to ask this of..... thank you for the compliment, I hope we can live up to your confidence in us.
Do you know that in asking us to respond to you, that you are causing us to give thought to the real meaning of Christmas? I know that I am always so busy this time of year that these still quiet moments of reflection on why we celebrate Christmas are amazingly precious.
While making Merry with friends and family is always fun, and doing volunteer work (as many FReepers have suggested) will make your soul sing, always remember that it is the still quiet times that you spend with our Lord that bring you closer to Him and allow Him to work in your life. If you have not yet found that close relationship with Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, then, my FRiend, this may just be the time you need to open that door that He is knocking on and let Him in to your heart. If your not sure how to do that, take comfort, it’s easy, just reach out to Him, He is waiting on you to do that and will indeed hear you calling on His name. If you already know Him, then take this quiet alone time to get to know Him better. It will change your life. Perhaps he has given you this Christmas alone so that you can spend it with Him. Merry Christmas, and may this be your “best” one ever. It can be, you know, it is all up to YOU.
Welcome to FR.
Christmas Blessings.
Go buy that Shotgun You’ve wanted and pretend to be Elmer Fudd
Sometimes volunteering might not help either. That’s ok. Another thing you can do is to use the silence to contemplate what the day means. Not superficially. Not the presents and Santa part - do that next year.
What was God’s relationship to mankind before that day? What would it be like without it? Read the Bible. Read the saints. Take a break and watch the Nativity Story. Go to a Protestant church. Go to a Catholic Mass. (Do both). Pray.
Actually, it all can be prayer. Focus on thinking and feeling God all day long.
My family is severely dysfunctional.
I was and have been very, very content to spend quiet Christmases the past several decades.
I did it by accepting that I was making a choice to stop the insanity and to choose something different. To choose that Christmas means something more than wine, alcohol, fights, and broken dreams.
On Christmas Eve, after getting my work done, I come home and prepare a wonderful dinner of shrimp scampi, baked potato, veggie and a salad. I sit down with a glass of wine at the back of the house overlooking the gardens. I thank God for my meal and then enjoy it. Often without Christmas music playing, just the peaceful silence. You know, it might have been like this for the shepherds watching over their flocks that night. I read my Bible and then go to mass later.
Christmas Day I get up early to go back to mass. I mean, He is the reason for the season, right.
I come home and make my favorite breakfast(sausage gravy and biscuits), then head out for a long day of pet sitting. Taking Santa Paws treats to all my charges of the day. Clients usually leave small token gifts which I bring home to open later. Sometimes somebody will leave a note to help myself to the ham in the fridge and enjoy a sandwich or two. Sort of like they left something for Santa...LOL.
Dinner is usually again a quiet meal taken in gratefulness and prayer, this time with Christmas music playing.
You’ve made a difficult choice to stop the mayhem of the Christmas Holiday, now I am telling you it is OK to create your own traditions of celebration. I am immensely content with mine, may the Lord show you yours.
God Bless and Merry Christmas
Don't mind the snarky replies - I think we are all on short fuses because we are witnessing the unfolding destruction of Western civilization. But Mr. Robinson has assured me that he will have his new Thorazine shipment in soon.
Christmas means that you are never, ever, ever alone, nor will you ever be. HE will be with you always, until the end of the age. The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it.
God bless us all, every one!
ib4z?
If I were going to design Christmas, it would involve lots of movies, some good wine and going to the kid’s service at church.
Get over it.
There are plenty of places to go volunteer. Give of yourself...that is the key to all joy
Been there too. Laid off, Nasty nasty divorce, parents passed away, siblings feuding and not speaking, living in a summer cabin graciously offered by a cousin, but not winterized... Sometimes it takes God to remove everything to get our attention.
It was just Him and me. Best Christmas ever. Total re-adjustment of my heart and thinking.
“Pick up a Bible and read the Gospel According to John and the Psalms” - great advice!
I am not alone but even if all my family and friends deserted me.................I will never be alone. I will always have my furry friends, my dogs with me.
They are faithful and true, always glad to see me when i come home and guard over me when I sleep.
I’ll bet you can find a shelter open and get yourself a friend for Christmas and for the rest of their life, if not, the rest of yours.
A dog, the best Christmas present ever!
Becuse of christmas, no one is ever alone anymore... Bless you and yours, yes, bless those in your family, and perhaps the blessing will move you to reach out to those who are not with you
Good luck
Thread hijack, everybody drink!
CC
Some can be surrounded by many people and still be alone!
Rejoice, Jesus is the reason for the season. He is not just born, He is risen!
No kidding. Thanks for making that point. Sad folks have to “go there”, even on a thread like this.
Same here. When I lived far away from my family and worked at a job where I most often had to work on holidays. If you accept it, it’s not so bad. But I always had a tree and cooked myself a Christmas meal. I think that’s important. Doesn’t have to be elaborate, but don’t leave out those things because there’s no one else there.
I know it’s cold, Joe. Just calling it as I see it.
Has this schmuck taken 2 minutes to post one single ‘thank you’ or return blessings to the good-hearted FReepers for their time, their advice, prayers, cards etc.?
I hope I’m wrong about him/her and maybe they will respond back, but not counting on it. If so, I will apologize immediately.
Perhaps it’s not his/her family that is the dysfunctional one?
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Wow....all my very favorite Christmas lights/sights gifs, in one post!
Thank you for posting those, SWL. You’ve beautifully brighter up the thread :)
As others have said, Allaloneonxmas, try to volunteer at a shelter, or read verses in your Bible and listen to some traditional Christmas hymns.
Blessings to you.
Very nice.
Try a church. Being serious. Find a church and get involved in what they are doing for Christmas, like bringing toys to children in hospitals or making Christmas dinner for the community. You’ll find they can use the help.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.