If you happen to be alone over the Festive period....

What a great thread. You touch upon a topic that sometimes involves a great number of suicides during this time of year. Whether it's a result of being alone on Christmas, or its Seasonal Depression, either way it is absolutely great that you've made the commitment to check in here over the holiday.

I made a similar statement earlier today about how Christmas is be just another day, and that I would be on ATS. Sounds like I either need, or DON'T need a priority shift.

Hey,thanks for this thread. I've recently moved out of state and will be having Christmas for the first time without my family and so it's a bit different and hard in its own way. I won't be completely alone but it won't be the same and I'm sure I'll be here on ATS in the evening passing the time away. Again, thanks and Happy Holidays to you

queenofsheba
Hey,thanks for this thread. I've recently moved out of state and will be having Christmas for the first time without my family and so it's a bit different and hard in its own way. I won't be completely alone but it won't be the same and I'm sure I'll be here on ATS in the evening passing the time away. Again, thanks and Happy Holidays to you

a lot of us will be here. and a lot of us us will be next year in no smsll part to this thread.

since i found out this was to be amother lonely holiday ive been anticipating this thread

hopeful i make it to sunshine before this winter cold does me in lol

hope u all find your someone for the holidays.

and heres hoping i find mine

queenofsheba
Hey,thanks for this thread. I've recently moved out of state and will be having Christmas for the first time without my family and so it's a bit different and hard in its own way. I won't be completely alone but it won't be the same and I'm sure I'll be here on ATS in the evening passing the time away. Again, thanks and Happy Holidays to you

Yeah.. I'll be here also..

with my cat

reply to post by Bedlam


OH! lol I wasn't understanding the context of the reply. I was under the impression we were discussing my divorce, of which ETS did not make a comprehensible connection lol.

To that question, no I retired over a year ago as an 18Z, in order to be closer to my wife and children. The irony isn't lost on me, trust me. I currently work as an independent contractor training and consulting Local and Federal SWAT teams and intelligence communities.

My remaining free time is spent enjoying civilian life, traveling and purchasing investment properties and business opportunities across the country, most recently in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. I'm also living in a rather large home that my wife and I purchased together that was supposed to be our dream home, and now aside from weekends, it's the farthest thing from being a dream as it's relentlessly empty and cold with just me occupying it.

Anyway, there's my sob story lol. So, glad to be able to have a place to peruse and talk with others during this trying time. Cheers everyone!

I think that Christmas has an element of sadness and sorrow which is only exceeded by it's joy and mirth and charm.

So it does make me want to both cry and laugh at the same time.

This is why Santa is so jolly and a belly laughter, because being father Christmas himself, he fully understands the true magnitude of the joke at the heart of it all, and he knows darn well that there's much more to it than a mere winter solstice celebration of the death and resurrection of the sun, in a deep self knowledge which both takes everything seriously, where as Buddha said "life is sorrowful", but he's big enough to get the joke in the transcendent, resurrected life on the other side of all sorrow and suffering and strife, leading us through the darkness of winter to the rite of spring and the renewal of all things.


HO HO HO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody!

LOL!

Or was that too deep, to "religious", so I hope I didn't offend anyone, then again sometimes the very best defense is a really good offense, so I'm not sorry for going deep, to the place where the first chuckle of Santa originates.

reply to post by NewAgeMan


I thought it was just perfect, NAM. so many of the best things in life are both bitter and sweet.

I am glad to see you have the familiar avatar back.

This year I'm Aussie future gal, ATS christmas is my boxing day, so other than eating leftovers and moaning in a starshape position on the floor from overeating again, I'll pop by and hang here a bit

reply to post by tgidkp


I think that Christmas is probably funnier by far than we realize or might have even previously given it credit, and by that I don't mean the type of humor which would poke fun at Christmas or it's myriad absurdities, but that actually takes it seriously in trying to discern the spirit which I think dips closely to the earth and to us via family of origin issues at this time of year.

I am here then in the lonely Christmas thread to cry for everyone, and I've already done that, in order so that all you'll be left with is the love and the mirth and good-willed, good-natured humor of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ AS father Christmas, and believe you me I've researched this thing to the nth degree.

It's real, the phenomenon that is Christmas at heart, and it's to be taken seriously in order so that we might have our good humor restored in the very hand of God who wipes away the tears from our eyes.

Cry not this Christmas oh lonely Christmas friends - LAUGH instead this time. Trust me, nothing else makes any rational sense whatsoever. The joke goes to the Lord and he shares it with us from the POV of the resurrected life on the other side of the cross (see Christmas avatar for clues).

My avatar is for YOU, this Christmas, to work it out and get the joke, but really understand it even better than did Leonardo daVinci.

That's my gift to you all this Christmas - the REAL da Vinci code fully understood fully "grokked" and there's much there for the eating in mutual table fellowship.

That's what this thread is, table fellowship of the Lord at Christmas.

None of this "happy holiday" nonsense.

We can take it.

first year the wife and i are apart for most of christmas eve.
13yrs.

i am playing at church, she goes to her brothers for christmas dinner.

reply to post by tsingtao


do you get her back afterwards? you said for Christmas eve only so i'm assuming that you and your wife are still together, may your marriage be blessed and all your problems, if any, reconciled. Why not?

Its Christmas Eve here in Aussie presently. I'm lucky to spend it with my family and friends. Being only a newbie and my first Xmas with ATS I will sneak away tomorrow and boxing day to check up with the ATS family.

Regards to all whether by yourselves or with close friends, family and 'pets'.

Bally

zazzafrazz
This year I'm Aussie future gal, ATS christmas is my boxing day, so other than eating leftovers and moaning in a starshape position on the floor from overeating again, I'll pop by and hang here a bit

But...but...but...you have to have saved room for one more thing....my annual Alien Christmas Cupcakes!

Merry Christmas!



ETA: Is that what you look like sprawled out on the floor overstuffed with left overs? It's what I imagined.

Des

One of my daughters is a cop, last night she was one of a number of emergency service personnel dealing with a tragic death and it's consequences, 2 nights before that was another one.

2 things really,

Thoughts to those of the services, emergency or not, working over this period, wheresoever you may be, and,

For those of you alone, especially as a result of tragedy, you are not...

ATS has time and thought for you.

Well done fellow posters, you are helping to improve someone's lot, somewhere.

Merry Xmas one and all.

reply to post by neformore


Christmas used to be fun, but as I get older and so too those around me, the crankiness sets in, the major faults of people drowning out the good, the "I know everything, you don't so shut up" coming out.

I wish I were alone then all I'd have is myself to argue with......

Btw, my good points drown out my bad AND Christmas is for kids, adults need not attend.

SGT101Airborne
reply to post by Bedlam

 

To that question, no I retired over a year ago...

And now we are three, although I haven't seen golf66 for a while. EC here. Only a lot older, I suspect, got out in 1990 myself.

It's rough on a family. I resolved not to get married until I left but that period after getting out and before getting hitched and going to school was sort of lost and wander-y. Not a lot of fun.

Christmas is going to be a hoot, though.

I've done my morning calls today, taken care of the Christmas Eve wishes for now. Tonight, another call for her to wish me the same on her Christmas morning. Things could be better but then again, they could be worse as well.

All of my best to everyone here, nomatter the time zone. Let's hope 2014 is a better year.

hoagy1199

All of my best to everyone here, nomatter the time zone. Let's hope 2014 is a better year.

It can't be any worse, that's good news right out of the gate - Ho Ho Ho!