Trying my da****** to stay off the pity pot...

[Queen of Poop]

Well, if we're going to have dinner it needs to be at Richards! He'd never survive here in the -30oC temps!!

But I'll gladly do the turkey, with granny's secret stuffing recipe.

Starbucks sounds great, lets see how the roads go, it is supposed to snow Monday! Like we need more. I have drifts here that are up to my thigh, mind you, I'm pretty short!!

[Catty1]

Gayle, just hold up a sign with your name on it...I'll dig you out of the drift! lol

Actually, I have a computer call here in Cochrane Monday morning, and am hoping to get a block heater installed in the afternoon.

Tuesday?

How's that Sasha doing? Not enjoying walks in this weather, I am sure.

[Catty1]

Okay, I guess God hears prayers even when one is wailing and being self-centred.

My former boss (the husband of the couple) phoned a few minutes ago and invited my mom and I to their house for Christmas Dinner.

Their daughter, her little boy, and her boyfriend will be there, as well as JJ and Wayne, a couple of their friends I have met.

Mom sounds open to it. I hope she agrees.

We did invite a neighbour of mine for dinner at Mom's but have not heard back yet. That's the only awkward spot.

But how nice...and unexpected!

Thanks, God!

[sumbirdy]

I'm glad you got invited to spend time with more people. And the fact that a child will be there is even better. Children always make things brighter, especially around the holidays (that's my opinion anyway)



(((hugs)))

[K9karen]

Okeedokey then...

Hmmmm..... just a few weeks ago, YOU were cheering ME up, Candance, remember???

There are lots of us who know how you and Richard feel. The best gift I could get would be to hug my parents again. But I do, everyday, same feel, same smell, even if it's in my head.

Yep, this decorative season can be very depressing. And when you can't reach your friends, or they turn you down for something, it's especially upsetting. But, it's not personal. It's a busy time. I hope mom and you go to Christmas dinner! It'll make you feel so much better, you'll see.

I now have a total of 5 events this coming week! Who wudda thought? And it's with people I really love and enjoy. i guess the feeling is mutual. Oh Joy!

Of course I over spent my budget, but it made me happy to buy gifts for kids and myself. I deserve it.

And as far as having a man....it ain't all that and a bag of chips. I guess if you're lucky, you find that special someone. Don't sweat it. Sometimes I think I'm better off alone. I like the independence. I was never one to really care.

You're still on this earth, have a job, an income and people who really care about you! Have a Merry Merry! Your sis and dad are together, sending you love. I doubt they'd want you to be unhappy. I know mine wouldn't.

{HUGSSSSSSSS}

[Laura's Babies]

Some of my best times were at last minute invites to a holiday dinner.. they always seen to be the BEST! I bet you and your Mom will have a blast!

I forget the reason I had no plans for Christmas and neither did some of my other single friends. One of them called, said she was going to cook and if i had no plans, to come over and eat Christmas dinner with her. Turned out she had 3 or 4 of us singles show up and we had a ball! We ate until we about popped and I got several great recipes that I still use today from her.

GO an enjoy yourself!

I have no man in my life either except for a friend in another state that calls 3 or 4 times a week and I know I am better off alone. No BS to put up with, no one to wash clothes for, to cook for, have to clean up after, explaine where I have been or why I am sleeping late... The best part... I can spend MY money the way I want to!!!

[K9karen]

some of my best times were at last minute invites to a holiday dinner.. They always seen to be the best! I bet you and your mom will have a blast!

I forget the reason i had no plans for christmas and neither did some of my other single friends. One of them called, said she was going to cook and if i had no plans, to come over and eat christmas dinner with her. Turned out she had 3 or 4 of us singles show up and we had a ball! We ate until we about popped and i got several great recipes that i still use today from her.

Go an enjoy yourself!

I have no man in my life either except for a friend in another state that calls 3 or 4 times a week and i know i am better off alone. No bs to put up with, no one to wash clothes for, to cook for, have to clean up after, explaine where i have been or why i am sleeping late... The best part... I can spend my money the way i want to!!!

amen sister!

[Medusa]

I read this last night just before I was heading for bed and I waited til this morning to reply because I didn't want to say anything stupid or nonsensical. When I'm tired, I tend to ramble. LOL

I'm glad that you got the invitation to Christmas dinner, Candace. I had been feeling the same way you felt nearly all year. This has been the loneliest year of my life. I entertain quite often, I love it but sometimes it's nice when someone else says "Hey, we'd like your company. Come on over." I have a friend who lives right across the street from me that I've included in all my holidays and I invite her quite often for wine and cheese and a movie or to go shopping together, etc. but she hasn't reciprocated in the four years that I've known her. Her excuse is "I need to clean my house first". Ok, some people just don't like to entertain; I get that but then invite me out for coffee or lunch and a movie then. It just doesn't occur to her, I guess. She has a full family, daughters, son, grandkids but takes it all for granted.

I'm always the one who cooks the big Thanksgiving dinner, has the open house on Christmas eve, a big buffet on Easter, etc. I felt sorry for myself this year and thought "Does it not occur to people that I'm alone and have been for nearly 13 years?" And I don't have the luxury of a double income; most of my friends have husbands who are working. My son is thousands of miles away and this is the first Thanksgiving that he was able to make it home in 11 years. I miss him so much on Thanskgiving; it's his favorite holiday and everyone knows how much I miss him, yet no invitation is ever forthcoming, so I've made it a practice to invite others instead, especially those who are in the same circumstances that I'm in. I was so thankful that my son was able to make it home this year, yet I wondered why no one said "Hey, why don't the two of you join us this year instead of the other way around?" Well, a girlfriend finally did but only after I waited and figured no invitation was coming so I planned the usual Thanksgiving dinner and invited people. Then the invitation came. I think she felt that she was safe in assuming that we wouldn't be there then.

Holidays are so different now. When I was married to John, most of my family was still alive, his too. I started shopping for Christmas presents months in advance for our families plus our employees and business associates, vendors, etc. Now I have my son and a couple of friends to think of and that's it. No kids running around on Christmas eve, no friends of my son's coming over because they're all married and have families of their own now. My parents and all of my siblings but one sister have passed on. She refuses to visit and it's difficult for me to visit her because I have to make arrangements for the Fur Posse and I don't like to impose on my catsitter during the holidays unless it would be an emergency.

It can be so lonely. Watching commercials on TV of families celebrating together or husbands giving their wives surprise Christmas gifts makes me tear up every time. I wish I was still married to John but that's a futile wish. It's all a downward spiral and it's useless. So that's when I force myself to take stock of all that I have, and not just materially, and I watch a movie that guarantees that I'll feel grateful, such as "Midnight Clear". I watched it last night and was made to realize just how bad some other people have it. I'm not saying this to make you feel worse, just to demonstrate that I share your heartache and, if you and your Mom lived closer, I assure you that the invitation for all holidays and gatherings and coffee klatches would be a standing one.

Merry Christmas to you and your mom, Candace. Better days are coming. We gotta keep the faythe.