Alone on Christmas
- Thread starter Philo
- Start date
You poor deprived soul. They're essential Christmas fuel, perfect for a quick kitchen pitstop.
Although I'm not alone, I'm enjoying the pseudo-solitude of spending the day with my wife and daughter. Nice dinner last night with my family and one of my wife's colleagues, church, then Mass this morning, now just the three of us waiting for my folks to arrive. We have a roaring fire in the woodstove. We'll be starting the roast soon.
Quiet. Simple. Invigorating.
Merry Christmas to all.
Quiet. Simple. Invigorating.
Merry Christmas to all.
Really the worst part about beign alone today is remembering the nice Christmasses you used to have. When you still had family and friends to exchange presents with. And worked at a place that wasn't run by greedy bastards who insisted you work the holidays making sure other people have a good time.
All the lovely white snow outside thats been reduced to ugly grey slush doesn't help either.
In fact the only thing about today I had to look forward to is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Otherwise, the hell with Christmas.
All the lovely white snow outside thats been reduced to ugly grey slush doesn't help either.
In fact the only thing about today I had to look forward to is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Otherwise, the hell with Christmas.
^ I'm sorry to hear your Christmas was so crappy, Cutter John! 
Everyone's been so sweet about my being alone (both here and in real life) that it makes me feel a little bad for posting this thread in the first place when, as it would happen, I've actually been having a pretty great time since I came home! I haven't even felt like posting on the board! But I did start this thread, so I thought I should provide an update.
My folks didn't leave until Monday morning, so I had three days to spend with them. I hadn't slept at all thursday night, so friday was pretty low-key. I helped my mom finish baking some Christmas cookies in the afternoon, and then we spent the evening sitting in front of the fireplace drinking wine. It was pretty lovely.
Saturday we spent most of the day putting up and decorating the tree. It's just an artificial tree but it looks pretty nice. I also stupidly discovered for the first time that it's easier to fan out the squished branches if you put them on the trunk first! Between doing the tree, I made a really nice beef roast dinner for everyone. The roast didn't turn out quite as well as some that I've made recently at home, but it was still pretty good.
We didn't really do a whole lot on Sunday. We took a Christmas portrait to send out to family (I'll be posting pictures of all of this in the picture thread), and I drove in to check out a department store in a nearby town. There I found a couple of great dvd deals (Boomtown - Season One for $10!), but more importantly, I also found the perfect gift for someone. I just hope she doesn't already have it.
Monday was my first day alone, but it may have been the most exciting. I did my traditional thrift store run (to two different ones) and really hit the jackpot! You ever really want something for a long time but can't get it for one reason or another, and then a confluence of events conspires to put it into your hands so perfectly that you can't believe it? Well, that happened to me. I found a flatbed scanner with a film negative adapter in it for $10. I just could not believe that the thing would work, but I bought it anyway, figuring that if it didn't then I'd have $10 store credit I could use to buy that set of 1960's science books I also had my eye on. Long story short, as you can see in this test image, it actually works.
Before I leave to go back to Montreal, I'm going to scan a bunch of old family photos.
Aside from that, I got a Fujifilm polaroid camera for $5 (Fujifilm actually still makes instant film), an authentic "I ♥ NY" t-shirt, a plain green t-shirt that'll be good for silkscreening, an awesome orange t-shirt that says "Can You Dig It?" on it, a really nice grey sweater that I haggled down from $15 to $7 because it had an easily repairable hole in one of the seams, and a great book of Canadian caricatures, including this one of Robert Bourassa that I have to put on a shirt. There were also a couple of polo shirts, and I got a bunch of VHS tapes to give out to people as gifts. My upstairs roommate Tim is getting "The Best of Super Dave Osborne".
Nothing much happened on Tuesday. I went into town to put some money in my account so I could buy a couple of gifts on ebay, looked to no avail for some new buttons to put on my trenchcoat, and found some instant film for that camera, but didn't buy any. On Wednesday, I spent the day inside, mostly doing laundry, listening to all of my burned CDs on the fantastic stereo here, and dancing around the living room. I also dug out an old box of my Star Trek and Star Wars toys. In it, I found the old STIII phaser I made out of Lego when I was ten, and this Millennium Falcon toy that shoots these little foam discs (some 12-14 feet)! So, of course, I ran around the house laughing maniacally while shooting it at the cat. He needed the exercise.
Christmas day I slept in until noon. I wasn't alone the whole day, though. Every single one of my friends that I've talked to invited me to have Christmas dinner with their family. My friend Megan was the most insistent, so I went to hers. On the drive there I listened to some Christmas music to get into the spirit of things. It was really nice to be with her and her family, and the food was absolutely delicious. Turkey, "crack potatoes" (as they call them... for good reason), and all of the other fixings. And then, just as I was getting back home and starting to feel a little lonely again, I got the best Christmas present ever: a marvelous little video greeting from a special little someone. I can't even say how much that made my day. I might just be in love.
So that's been my Christmas so far, and I haven't even had the real thing yet! So stay tuned!
Everyone's been so sweet about my being alone (both here and in real life) that it makes me feel a little bad for posting this thread in the first place when, as it would happen, I've actually been having a pretty great time since I came home! I haven't even felt like posting on the board! But I did start this thread, so I thought I should provide an update.
My folks didn't leave until Monday morning, so I had three days to spend with them. I hadn't slept at all thursday night, so friday was pretty low-key. I helped my mom finish baking some Christmas cookies in the afternoon, and then we spent the evening sitting in front of the fireplace drinking wine. It was pretty lovely.
Saturday we spent most of the day putting up and decorating the tree. It's just an artificial tree but it looks pretty nice. I also stupidly discovered for the first time that it's easier to fan out the squished branches if you put them on the trunk first! Between doing the tree, I made a really nice beef roast dinner for everyone. The roast didn't turn out quite as well as some that I've made recently at home, but it was still pretty good.
We didn't really do a whole lot on Sunday. We took a Christmas portrait to send out to family (I'll be posting pictures of all of this in the picture thread), and I drove in to check out a department store in a nearby town. There I found a couple of great dvd deals (Boomtown - Season One for $10!), but more importantly, I also found the perfect gift for someone. I just hope she doesn't already have it.
Monday was my first day alone, but it may have been the most exciting. I did my traditional thrift store run (to two different ones) and really hit the jackpot! You ever really want something for a long time but can't get it for one reason or another, and then a confluence of events conspires to put it into your hands so perfectly that you can't believe it? Well, that happened to me. I found a flatbed scanner with a film negative adapter in it for $10. I just could not believe that the thing would work, but I bought it anyway, figuring that if it didn't then I'd have $10 store credit I could use to buy that set of 1960's science books I also had my eye on. Long story short, as you can see in this test image, it actually works.
Before I leave to go back to Montreal, I'm going to scan a bunch of old family photos.Aside from that, I got a Fujifilm polaroid camera for $5 (Fujifilm actually still makes instant film), an authentic "I ♥ NY" t-shirt, a plain green t-shirt that'll be good for silkscreening, an awesome orange t-shirt that says "Can You Dig It?" on it, a really nice grey sweater that I haggled down from $15 to $7 because it had an easily repairable hole in one of the seams, and a great book of Canadian caricatures, including this one of Robert Bourassa that I have to put on a shirt. There were also a couple of polo shirts, and I got a bunch of VHS tapes to give out to people as gifts. My upstairs roommate Tim is getting "The Best of Super Dave Osborne".
Nothing much happened on Tuesday. I went into town to put some money in my account so I could buy a couple of gifts on ebay, looked to no avail for some new buttons to put on my trenchcoat, and found some instant film for that camera, but didn't buy any. On Wednesday, I spent the day inside, mostly doing laundry, listening to all of my burned CDs on the fantastic stereo here, and dancing around the living room. I also dug out an old box of my Star Trek and Star Wars toys. In it, I found the old STIII phaser I made out of Lego when I was ten, and this Millennium Falcon toy that shoots these little foam discs (some 12-14 feet)! So, of course, I ran around the house laughing maniacally while shooting it at the cat. He needed the exercise.
Christmas day I slept in until noon. I wasn't alone the whole day, though. Every single one of my friends that I've talked to invited me to have Christmas dinner with their family. My friend Megan was the most insistent, so I went to hers. On the drive there I listened to some Christmas music to get into the spirit of things. It was really nice to be with her and her family, and the food was absolutely delicious. Turkey, "crack potatoes" (as they call them... for good reason), and all of the other fixings. And then, just as I was getting back home and starting to feel a little lonely again, I got the best Christmas present ever: a marvelous little video greeting from a special little someone. I can't even say how much that made my day. I might just be in love.
So that's been my Christmas so far, and I haven't even had the real thing yet! So stay tuned!
Thanks Philo. I guess being angry and down about it all isn't going to do any good. All water under the bridge now anyway. So I suppose I should try to cheer up and get on with things.
Even though work was miserable last night, at least I had a few hours of cheer, thanks to yesterdays Dr Who Christmas story and a brand new Wallace & Gromit on the tube.
Even though work was miserable last night, at least I had a few hours of cheer, thanks to yesterdays Dr Who Christmas story and a brand new Wallace & Gromit on the tube.
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I know the feeling. A part of me was looking forward to Christmas alone, but on the day it just felt... odd. I went out tonight to try and balance out the lonliness...
...though at least there was Doctor Who
Didn't watch Wallace and Gromit - can't remember why though...
I'd of been much less lonely if you'd air dropped < link removed by moderator > into my lap,
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The link I deleted above exceeds board standards. Infraction will be entered under "Other." PM comments only.
I'd of been much less lonely if you'd air dropped < link removed by moderator > into my lap,
