What's wrong with me this Christmas?

I agree. You aren’t a BIT selfish.
All of us want to be loved. If you are always giving with nothing in return, it’s very depressing.

I have an idea…wrap a present to yourself, and put “from Santa Claus” on the label. Then, let everyone wonder who it’s from. :teehee:

I completely understand what you’re saying, Ginny! I either buy or make presents for every single person in my family. What do I get in return? Nothing usually. Two years ago all of them(I’m talking at least 10 adults here) got together a bought DH and I a tin of popcorn from Wal-Mart. They do manage to get my 3 youngest something, usually not age appropriate and out of the dollar bin. It’s just sad that you try so hard to please other people and they treat you worse than a stranger on the street.
It would be nice to know that you are appreciated a little. It’s not being selfish!

You’re not selfish. Everybody wants to know that they are appreciated. I’ll bet if even one of these people came up to you and said “ya know. You’ve worked so hard to make this Christmas happen, and I want you to know that I appreciate it.” You probably wouldn’t even care if you got a gift.

ABSOLUTELY!!!
I took Shandeh’s advice:whistle: :whistle: Discontinuedbrand name yarns added a BUNCH of Wool in the Woods and some new Lamb’s Pride to their site. I bought a beautiful aran in LP to make the Central Park Hoodie with (FOR MEEEEEEEEE) and enough Bob Cat in Old Rose to make a sweater as well:flirt:

Ha! Good for you!:yay:

Any holiday can be a set up because you are expected to feel and act in a way that you are not prepared to do. This includes Jewish holidays. I think Christmas can be a particular problem because the whole culture starts thinking about that one day in Sept. Sometimes really good feelings and good days pass us by unnoticed and un appreciated because we are very focused on that one day
When all else fails I suppose you could celebrate a "Jewish"Christmas and have Chinese food then go out to the movies:)

Yay! You DESERVE a good gift like that! :thumbsup:
(It’s always fun to take care of yourself, isn’t it?)

Oh, and I’m just like the rest of you. I usually don’t get much from my kids either. But, last year, my oldest son remembered me. :slight_smile:

About the gift thing… and Ginnys comment to herself…

I found myself saying a similar sentiment to myself. The past 4 years my mother-in-law ‘forgot’ to give me a gift. And she would always make up some really obviously fake reason why I didn’t get one. [ex. there was no space left in the buggy, when it was obvious she used at least 4 buggy loads to get all the other gifts in the house!]

Anyways, she just had a break down and is dealing with mental issues… which we now know are long term issues (dating back over 12 years and I’ve known her 11 years)…

And one of my first thoughts was… oh, well I don’t feel so angry now because… she’s partially nuts…

Then I was so ashamed that I even thought that!

But then my mother said something along the same lines… because my MIL insisted on buying the same dress as my mother for our wedding. When my mother returned her’s my mil did too and bought the next one. Only my mother’s a size 4 and my mil is a size 28…

And my mother was like, well now… you can understand why she does things along the lines of those dresses for the wedding…

Now if only my husband can understand why I don’t enjoy going to visit his mother!

Oh do I EVER hear you!!! Don’t get me started on MIL’s, I could go on for HOURS. I have had two, my first was a GEM, the most wonderful woman in the entire world. I got really REALLY spoiled.

My current MIL is the total opposite. I’ve never gotten so much as a card from her for Birthday or Christmas. She always give her son a gift and then says it’s for “both of us”.

So you have my total sympathy. I just alwaystell myself I picked her son NOT HER and deal the best I can. The dress incident is just amazing. Don’t you wondedr what people are thinking when they do things like that!!!

Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to have a Jewish Christmas haha.

It’s sad to say, but I think I stopped enjoying holidays when I was about 13. I stopped celebrating my birthdays, I stopped having fun at Christmas, Easter wasn’t fun anymore. It just stopped. I know that Christmas was a bust because that was the year that my dad was laid off at work and it made me so miserable to see that my parents were spending money on me when I knew they should have been saving it. I opened my Christmas presents and I was so ashamed that my parents thought that I needed expensive gifts to be happy. I didn’t need the stereo that they gave me and I wanted nothing more than to tell them to take it back and return it so they could pay the bills. I overheard my dad telling my mom that she should go and buy me an xbox because I should have gotten more gifts. I had never felt so guilty in my life.

Every Christmas since has been so strange in our house. My dad got a new job and we were financially fine, but I always felt so guilty getting things that I hadn’t earned or deserved.

Last year was better because I had a job and I could buy presents for my family. I finally felt like I was giving back to them! But this year we’re back to where we were a few years ago. My dad’s company was sold and he is out of a job again. When I talk to my mom on the phone she reminds me that it’s going to be a small Christmas again and I just want to tell her to not worry because I don’t need a big present. I don’t need anything! All I want for Christmas is to go home and be with my family. All I want is for my dad to get a new job. She keeps telling me that she had something big planned for me this year and that she’s so sorry that she can’t give it to me anymore. I’ve told her that she doesn’t have to feel bad about it because I understand the situation but i think that makes her feel worse and I, in turn, feel worse too.

This time around my parents have grandchildren and they want to spoil those kids. It kills me to see that they can’t do that anymore.

I think we would all rather eat chinese food and watch a movie, but no one has the courage to tell each other and no one wants to take away Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa’s from my niece and nephew.

I hate holidays.

:hug: For songbirdy and starburst and ginny and everyone else here.

I have a MIL (and 2 SIL) from hades as well…so I understand. I get to spend Christmas with them this year, too. Yippee!!!