Ok, I thought we could maybe share our joys in the run-up to Christmas All those fears and worries and laughs and tears; the tidying and clearing, the shopping and cooking, the searching and decorating....

I'm sorry, US folk, I can't bring myself to say Happy Holidays more than once lol, it's just Christmas here, and that's the way I hope it'll always be for me!

We are now right into December, and I'm having my annual panic at having done pretty much nothing towards Christmas yet. There seems to be mountains to do, and very little time to do it in!

How are you getting on? (Oh yes, and please, if you are one of those people who have everything bought and wrapped by now, can you just say so very very very quietly??? )

If nothing else, maybe we could just share this shout of festive cheer.........

Aaaaaaaaaaagaagahahahahahahahahahagagagaaahahahaha h!!!!! HEEELLLPPPPP!!!!

Bram

Let me be the first to return the Yule Time pleasantries...
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you.....

Everyone have a safe and pain free MERRY Christmas...

Bram (it is Merry Christmas to me too)!

We haven't decorated in a couple of years, since I got so much worse. We used to decorate inside and outside a lot! My husband wanted to put up the tree and decorate a bit this past weekend, he said that he knows I like it and thought I would enjoy it since I am home all day now...he is a great guy! I wanted so badly to help decorate the tree, until I dropped and broke a couple of my favorite Peanuts/Snoopy ornaments. That was followed by a mini meltdown. I drop stuff all the time now...this RSD/CRaPS really sucks!!

One of my nieces is getting married the Sunday before Christmas and one of my nephews is getting married on the 28th, but that one is up in Washington DC. We decided not to attend his wedding because it would be too hard on me. I hate missing it but have to start to really recognize my limitations...denial just doesn't work so well anymore

As far as shopping goes, we are trying to do a little at a time and online shopping is great! It is gonna be a lighter ($$) Christmas this year since I didn't get paid for 9 months (STD/LTD denied but SSD picked up in Oct ) and my husband was furloughed twice. I have my list going and just wait for my husband to get home from work to take me out

I hope everyone is getting along ok.
Nanc

I know things are different for all of us here.BUT we must go on and do our best to abilities.So Merry Christmas everyone.

Merry Christmas Bram!

Well...this is a really crazy time of year for me. I work retail so I'm working 6 days a week now with only Monday's off. We're open until midnight every night until the 20th when the company decided we're just not going to close at all until the 24th. That's going to be interesting. Last week was really rough on me...getting ready for Black Friday and then the 12 hour shift on Black Friday itself. But...that's over now and going forward most of the work I do will be less physically taxing on me since a couple months ago I started a new position that is more office work than before (but getting ready for Black Friday means we're all on the floor trying to get things ready).

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went out and got our Christmas tree. We've been getting a real one for about 5 years now and I love going out with him to pick it out. And thankfully...it was warmer yesterday so it wasn't too bad. The trip out took a toll on me though (or maybe it was just the weather changes because I woke up this morning to a terrible rain storm) and I'm glad I have the closing shift tonight to give me a few extra hours to rest up and try to make it to work.

Boyfriend brought up the rest of the Christmas decorations and started unpacking them. I'm hoping that over the next week I can get stuff put up little by little so it's all done by the weekend. Might be next Monday though since that's my next day off. Either way...I'll just be happy to get everything up and in it's place for the holidays.

I really do love this time of year even though it's crazy and there's so much to do...even though I can't do as much as I want to with putting up the Christmas decorations and all. It can be frustrating but I do my best to not push what I know are my limits.

On the other hand...I have (sorry if this annoys anything) finished my Christmas shopping between online shopping and picking some things up where I work on a slow day last week). Everything is also wrapped (managed to get that done yesterday morning). So once the Christmas tree is all decorated it will have a bunch of gifts under it too. I like to wrap all the gifts in different wrapping paper too so that it looks all eclectic and fun under the tree. Still waiting on a few online items to arrive...then it will be time to write out the Christmas cards...so much to do. If it makes you feel any better...I still do have to buy candy canes for all the associates that work for me to put on their Christmas cards. I do try and make sure I get one for all my associates around Christmas time...so that's still something I have to buy.

Hope everyone is doing well and has a great holiday season!!

Catra, as you're so nice I'll let you off being so incredibly organised

I wish it was because I am so organized...but the truth is that with only one day off a week for the entire month of December I know I won't want to leave the house at all. So I wanted to get all of the actual "shopping" done before that happens. Especially since they are saying this is going to be a VERY cold winter this year.

Hi catra - so glad you made it through Black Friday ok. I know that had to be rough! I worked retail many years ago (pre-RSD/CRPS) and Black Friday was hell then! I can't imagine working retail now, I admire you!

It is great that you have your shopping done. I used to always be done or close to it by Halloween...not anymore!! I will be lucky to finish by Christmas Eve My husband said I need to wrap things up as we get them so it will be easier on me. I have to do the wrapping since he can only use one hand. He has a good point since my hands are getting so bad...I need to get to work

I figure that once my hands get too bad...that's what gift bags are for! I always stock up after Christmas when they are 80-90% off...and we reuse any gift bags we get each year too. I prefer the wrapping paper and having all those packages under the tree...but gift bags look nice too as an alternative.

Yep, I am all about the gift bags!! Use them more and more. I do have a few things that need to be wrapped, but everything that can will go into a gift bag When I was able to, my best bud and I would hit Target the day after Christmas and I would stock up! I miss that tradition