Enjoying this time of year

Don’t feel like reading? Listen to the audio version here:

“It’s the mooost wonderful tiiime of the yeeeear…”

For some. For others, it’s the worst.

Personally, I absolutely love Christmas. Not for the presents – although that was one of the highlights of the holiday when I was younger – but for the warmth and happiness it brings me. The lights, the food, Christmas spice tea, the decorations… all of it brings me a lot of joy.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. Yet, during my teens and early twenties, the holidays got more and more difficult because of my mom. I think the last time I celebrated Christmas back home was in… 2012, I think. After that, I made sure to spend any holiday I could with my old boyfriend’s family. The year we broke up, my brother, uncle, my grandma and I spent Christmas Eve at my grandma’s, and we had a very lovely evening. The year after that, my grandma and I decided to take a bus tour to Germany (mainly for old people, but I think there were a couple of other people around my age, maybe a bit older). It was a nice trip, but not something I’d do again, at least not with a tour group.

Two years ago I met Nick, so now I have his wonderful family to spend the holidays with.

Being able to actually enjoy Christmas is so important to me, much more important than “family obligations.” I choose to be with people I care about, who treat me well and make me happy. I’m not gonna waste one more Christmas on someone (i.e. my mother) who only brings me down. Of course, choosing to cut my mother out of my life means that I can’t really spend Christmas with my dad or my sister. But my dad isn’t really such a big fan of the holiday, and my sister lives pretty far away, so it doesn’t really matter that much.

I know quite a few people who hates this time of year, mostly because it entails spending time with family – especially with peripheral family members you don’t know and don’t really care about, who always ask the same questions: “So, what do you do?” “Are you studying?” “Oh, you’re not working? What do you do, then?” And you’re just sitting there, like… “I’m just trying to figure out life.” And they just don’t seem to get it. “So, do you have a boyfriend?” “Are you getting married soon?” “Are you gonna have kids?” Or, “Oh, you’re single? Why? Don’t you want a boyfriend?” and blaaaa blablablabla. Damn exhausting.

Explaining peripheral family members that I have bipolar, that  I’m on sick leave, trying to figure out how many hours I can actually work, not knowing exactly what I want to do for work, or when I’ll actually get a paid job… ugh. Spare me.

This isn’t just during Christmas, of course. It’s the same with birthdays. Which is why I only invite the family I actually like when I celebrate my birthday.

Anyway. I was inspired to write this post because I arrived in Kolding this afternoon, for a nice little weekend get-away, and we had risengrød for dinner! (see picture above.) A classic Christmas rice porridge with cinnamon mixed with sugar on top, and of course a nice spoonfull of butter right in the middle. Mmmmh.

Also going to the annual Christmas market here in Kolding this weekend. I’m so excited!

Merry weekend to all, and to all a good night.