How will you spend the holiday season?

Past:

In my earlier years, I remember some nice times over the festive period. Feeling peace and joy and having a good spirit towards others. Time spent with that special someone made it extra special. The lovely feeling of giving someone a gift that you know they'll enjoy. Watching TV movies, good food, and dinner parties.

Present:

All of the past has gone on the whole. I do miss that independence, having that special partner. I am now a caregiver for my mother for many years now. The holiday season is still special, but in a different way. I get to spend time with my mom. I'm sure my situation is better than some other people on the forum, in that I can still have conversations with mom, and my mom still remembers most things.

In the present I still remember the past things I did, but I remember a buddy of mine in my younger days, we had a blast around holiday season. I remember him because he passed away all of a sudden a long time ago, but this time of the year always brings back good memories of that time.

It will be my mom, me, and we may get a visit from a sibling or two. I'm not on talking terms with my siblings, so it's kind of awkward, plus I am living in the family home, which I am always promptly told. I have not right to say who comes and goes, because it's not my house. Which is fine, I do not have a problem with them visiting their mother. A lot of the history is already in other posts I've written, so will not go into it again.

The most important thing will be just to spend time with my mom, have a nice dinner, watch some good TV movies. I still enjoy the classics. Groundhog Day, Home Alone, Scrooge, Wonderful Life, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and similar movies. We made the house a little festive; we have Christmas tree, some xmas cards we received from neighbors. There will be some moderate drinks involved too, but not like the old days. I may spend some days listening to some music in the morning.

I just feel it's important to spend good moments with the people we're caring for. Caring is not easy and there are all sorts of issues along the way, all kinds of emotions. We have to watch our own health as caregivers, well as the person we are caring for. So grabbing those good moments, what I've called these small mental escapes, is important & good for us.

Future:

I can't really speak too much about it as no one knows. I hope to cherish the good moments of the past and try to carve out some kind of life, that most likely will not include my siblings, and if lucky, bring some things back from the past.

The above turned into a kind of Scrooge thing with past, present, and future. However I promise you I am not like Scrooge, bar humbug!

I understand that people on the forum will be in a different place right now, different issues to contend with, and people's joy will be relative to these things, and for many it will just be something that comes and goes like any other time of the year, and that's fine too.

With sincere sensitivity to the issues people are contending with right now, and let's face it, it's not just the health of the people we care for and/or our own health; it what's happening in the economy, and the world too.

I want to wish everyone on the forum Love & Peace this holiday season. If you can find strength through the word of people's answers, that's a good thing; I have, and I wish to thank everyone that has given me support through their answers/replies.

Love & Peace.