Every year I think about writing one of those hokey “real Christmas” newsletters. Every year I start it off with the first few sentences and then quit. All the other Christmas newsletters I read have so much good news — like Sally made all A’s, Dean got a full-paid scholarship, Mike got a promotion, we took a long vacation to somewhere far away and expensive, and it goes on and on. It seriously makes me want to barf! Consequently, I always quit because mine would go something like this…
The 2009 Family Christmas Update
It was a year in 2008 and slightly better in 2009. We lost our shirt in a business venture, we were homeless for a few months, our house was in foreclosure and then slated to be auctioned. We collectively gained 100 pounds that won’t find someplace else to live. Our kids are growing up and (in spite of us and possibly needing counseling) they are doing fine.
Well, fine, except one kid had ACL surgery twice this year. Both kids think I love the other child more. Both are deprived because their friends all have new cars to drive and name-brand clothes to wear, and neither understands the value of being poor and learning to pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
Fortunately, in this bad economy both of the adults in the house have jobs. I use the word jobs because the word career is meaningless when it comes to collecting paychecks. But still, we are all healthy, have food to eat, a few gifts around the tree, family that loves us even when we think they don’t, friends that would come if we called, a new car and a car payment to go along with it, a small pile of bills and a smaller pile of money to pay them with, but pay them we are, slowly but surely.
We are looking forward to a new year, new beginnings, and new outlooks. After all, when you’re near the bottom there’s only one way to go unless you start digging.
In short, the moral of this story is that a lot of folks just do not want to hear about all those great things you made up to make your family look awesome. This is a real world and the 50’s families are relics of the past.
Now, you understand why I never get around to writing hokey newsletters. I just find them way too depressing. Ha, I have probably depressed half of the free world already. Seriously though, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bah Humbug!
If you missed the original “Bah Humbug” entry, or want the full context on the FBI and the “dark cloud” we were trying to escape, you can read the first ramble here:
Read: Unwrapped Anxiety: Christmas with the FBI (“Men in Black”) ~2008
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But you have each other and you are all still here to celebrate this wonderous season – celebrating the birth of our Savior – who died that we might have eternal life. Much love – Raquel XO
While I’m totally with you that the holidays are overrated (honestly I think they are something that is vastly pushed by commercialization and propagation by companies trying to sell crap) but being a pessimist about things not only does not improve your situation but also makes it seem way worse in your mind. Try and remember something, anything that’s positive I guess is what I’m saying. Not for the holidays because let’s be honest, they’re depressing as crap. There’s a reason that statistically suicides are at their highest around this time of year after all. Try and look at the positives because if you can train yourself to always try and find a silver lining your life would be a lot less stressful (take it from someone who’s been there and done that). Just food for thought. Also what my response to reading it was. Not sure if that’s what the assignment was supposed to be or not.