The Holidays make me sad.......

I feel the same way and I think it is because there is so much to do around the holidays...buying presents, wrapping presents, addressing Christmas cards, baking, entertaining, getting together with family (we have to travel to both sets of parents with an 18 month-old who each live about 4 hours away...UGH!!)  Every year it seems to get more and more stressful.  I wish I could just relax and reflect on what the season is truly about...Jesus' birth.  I'm right there with you though!

I am so sorry you feel that way. I am actually totally in the Holiday spirits. Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday cause you get together with family and friends and don't need to worry about presents. It really can get very stressful though. Just try turning on the radio to some good old Christmas music and that just has to cheer you up. That is what did it for me =] Just don't go crazy on the shopping. We cut out a lot of people this year because last year I felt the same way you do now and it really seems to have helped with the stress. We also have decided to do gift cards (except for our son of course) so that I didn't have to do all of that wrapping that I can't stand. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

I'm looking forward to them because to me they are a special time of the year (particularly Christmas with the decorations, the holiday movies, etc.) but this year will be harder because SO has been unemployed for a while so we've had no income. He starts a job tomorrow but we might have to move if the landlord doesn't like that we'll be even further behind by the time he gets some money. *BIG SIGH*

the holidays make me depressed because I have no money to buy my son anything. I got him two toys from goodwill and that is what he is getting. Luckily he is 3 so he does not completely understand christmas yet. So the holidays depress me because I feel like I need to do better than I can or I am a bad mother. I don't have 500 dollars to spend on one kid.

I get depressed around the holidays because my family is 1000 miles away and I don't get to see them. I have 2 teens but no money to speak of to get them anything.  My mother has been sick but I can not afford to go see her. Hopefully next year will be better.

I did used to feel this way. I thought if I didn't have a million bucks to spend on people, then I didnt' deserve all the crap my mom buys me. I finally learned not to sweat it. DD loves anything I buy her, pricey or not...and my parents buy stuff because that's how they have fun each year. Luckily, our situation is slightly better this year in terms of money...so I'm not as stressed. But with dh still not working... it is more stress on me to get things done. I'm just trying to remember that money or not... it's a good time of year.

This is such an important topic around the holidays -- thank you so much froggie1008 for sharing your thoughts! It's easy to feel like everyone else is in the holiday spirit, when that's not always the case.

I LOVE the fact that my children are happy with whatever they get for their birthdays or holidays. They're 5, 3 and 11 months, so I totally understand that will change at some point, but for now it's really great! I still give them pajamas and socks as presents and they're like "wow, thanks mom!".

I think, and hope that my children learn, that the most important thing is that we're together and we have each other. The rest is just "stuff".

-- Elizabeth

I love the holidays, I cant wait to buy our tree and start decorating, we already bought alot of the presents and on friday I am finishing up.  I am sooooooooo super excited about everything. Not exacxtly thanksgiving and christmas eve (that is when I am with my family and it is our first holiday without my uncle who was the life of the holidays so it is going to be alot of tears)  but listening to NSYNC Merry Christmas Happy Holidays makes me happy lol 

Quoting mollgirl:

I get depressed around the holidays because my family is 1000 miles away and I don't get to see them. I have 2 teens but no money to speak of to get them anything.  My mother has been sick but I can not afford to go see her. Hopefully next year will be better.

My family is far away too (not 1000 miles though) And my husband is deployd this holiday, So I thik thats what it is, I already put the tree up trying to get in the spirit, but we will see, Thanks ladies for sharing your thughts!