The Bah! Humbug! Christmas thread.

If being a hermit is what you consider social success then why didn't you just turn your phone off? Then at the end of Christmas Day you could hear your own echoing voice when you proclaim Fait accomplit! (or Mission accomplished!)

I just consulted this:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/full.html

... see that the festering season has but hours to go, even in the most time-delayed places on the planet!

Here's my little gift for those of you who will be needing it. Take before that little rest on the couch.

How about pepto-bismol ice cream? Who knew?!

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/07/how_to_make_peptobismol_i.html

It being well into Saturday the 26th here (almost midday) I have dusted off my boxing gloves & will be heading off soon in search of my first stoush of the day. (Can't wait! )

Enjoy the rest of your festivities, every one!

Good grief. What will they think of next?!

So...am I the only one reporting in that I ENJOYED Christmas so far?

You just might be!
You contrary bunny!

Heh heh!!!

Christmas skite!!!!!!




(The very worst sort of skite, if you ask me! )

I DID have a great day!!!

No, me, me, me - good day.

Already feeling bahumbugish.

Thanksgiving was a lovely day and a fabulous meal. Things went down hill from there for me. I am wondering how to handle christmas.

alcohol...and heaps of it!

Wassamatter K?

Maybe more alcohol will help. Can I start drinking at 6:30 am when the little ones wake me up?

My little sis, whom we begged to come back east, is driving me nuts. I love her and her family. I understand why she does what she does, but I am having a harder and harder time biting my tongue. I can continue to try not saying anything when her older son pushes over her younger son. I can leave when she becomes manic about them getting enough sleep. I can close my self away after so many hours of loud nattering.

But, I can't do well without sleep. Especially if, as was the case last weekend, I am sick. Her family is out in a room above the garage so that THEY can sleep. But, they come to the main house when they wake up (as early as 6:30). And then there's no quiet time in the house after that during which I can take a nap to make up the difference. Actually, once while I was trying to take a nap upstairs, older nephew came slamming into my bedroom to hide a tractor under my bed. Moments later, younger nephew came by and rattled the door knob trying to get in (he's too young to really do doorknobs). Where was my sister, you may ask? She was having a nap in her room out over the garage. So, now I can't even be mad at her, because someone else was watching the kids. Ask anyone who knows me, I am a good sleeper. I can sleep through almost anything. I can't sleep through this though.

I could go to bed at 10:30, but I can't sleep until 11:30 on a good night. I have been advised to talk to her (by my mother) and not to (by my other 2 siblings). I feel like saying anything to her will make her more stressed out and therefore more manic and nattering. And perhaps she will regret moving back east.

So, now I am actually contemplating spending far less time with my family when they are the reason I moved back to MA. I don't want to be such a nudge.

Would it help to frame the talk as an offer to help with the problems and make a mutually beneficial deal, as opposed to a complaint about the problems? Or would that lead to a helping workload that leaves you stressed out and nattering manically?


To this Monday-morning quarterback---no, make that Monday-evening quarterback---your story sounds much like the beginning of a "good fences make good neighbors" story. I see no need for you feeling bad about needing to erect some intra-family fences. Things may well improve between you once they're in place.

Ack. Sounds awful.
I suppose slipping a mickey in their morning cocoa is out of the question?

Thanks for listening.

Thomas, we have offered to help. But we can't agree on how best to help her and she's too frazzled to be really constructive to us. For example... We suggest she catch up on sleep while the kids do. But she'd rather doing things like shower, read, use the internet, etc. We offer to watch the kids while she goes for a run (\we know that this calms her down)., but she's only taken us up a coupe, times (over many months). What she does instead is suddenly puts a kid in our arms and walks away. Once she did that last when I had just woken up before I even started my coffee.

George, I think I'd consider a mickey if she weren't still nursing.

Well, slip your sister a Mickey then. Three birds, one stone. What's the problem?

Seriously though, the suddenly-putting-a-kid-into-your-arms-and-going-away part sounds like the reality of burnout colliding with denial about burnout. I was like that when my last job went bad. She might have to hit rock bottom before she realizes she has a problem and needs help dealing with it. Easy for me to say, disheartening for you to watch. Sorry you have to go through this. Talk about Bah Humbug!

My mother keeps saying it will only be this way for a couple of years! Gee, that's great. It is burnout/denial. We all see that and that is why we are trying to give her time to sleep and exercise.

I think I may have come up with a non-intrusive solution to the sleep issue: earplugs! I'm putting some in my bag for xmas.