Whoopee: The Holidays

Well here it is. The holiday season. For some people it is a happy time with friends, family, presents, and decorations. For some, just the thought of Christmas/Hanukkah energizes and brings a smile to one’s face. Best time of the year.

Then there are the rest of us. For us this time of year is pretty damn hard. There are many reasons the rest of us do not bubble at the thought of “holiday time”. Let me bore you with them:

This time of year is all about Christmas.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas. We all know about Santa but not many of us that aren’t Jewish know about Hanukkah. Even fewer know about Kwanzaa or Boxing Day. If you celebrate one of these other holidays chances are you are very annoyed with the whole *Christ*mas thing.

S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or winter depression. Feeling depressed due to lack of daylight exposure. Daylight exposure has been linked to seretonin production and melatonin synthesis. Many feel a slight downturn in their moods while others are deeply effected.

Some people just don’t celebrate Christmas.

For whatever reason. But you can’t just not celebrate can you? For many of the holiday-lovers, it doesn’t matter what you are festive about, just as long as you ARE festive. If you choose to bypass this holiday cheerfulness there must be something wrong with you. There is always many questions and sometimes hurt feelings.

As the time of year for family, it is also the time of year to be hyper-aware of missing family members.

That first “holiday time” after the death of a family member is the most difficult. You can’t help but stare at the place where they used to sit during dinner and tend to remember all the silly/wonderful things that person used to do with the holiday ornaments.

If you are like me, you are chronically depressed and this time of year is the hardest because everyone else is so damn happy and they can’t understand why YOU aren’t.

Constantly being assaulted by bell-ringers, fat men in red suits, well-wishers, and claustrophobia-inducing family members is really trying. Sure, you may put up lights and get a few gifts….because if you didn’t all the questions you would have to answer.

For the most part, the holiday-lovers far outweigh the holiday-dreaders. For a while I chose to not celebrate. I got a few presents for close friends and family and basically holed myself up. By buying the presents I alleviated the need for answering any tough questions, effectively buying my peace. I even joined the holiday-lovers camp for a few years. It is pretty nice over there actually. But this year I am fully in the dread camp. And I cannot afford to buy my peace. Yes, I’m depressed and lonely, and want “holiday time” to be over with. Everyday tasks feel so difficult.

And you? Where do you stand in all of this? Are you the one with the singing Santa on your front lawn or are you nailing your shutters closed and having your groceries mailed to you?