Lonely Christmas Nights

[back alley]

the only bad thing about this holiday is that my extra long gordy strap
is in the mail somewhere and i was hoping to try it out this coming week...beside that i bought myself 2 used lenses this christmas.

 

[leicashot]

the only bad thing about this holiday is that my extra long gordy strap
is in the mail somewhere and i was hoping to try it out this coming week...beside that i bought myself 2 used lenses this christmas.

what did you buy?

 

[back alley]

cv21 & 90/4 leica

 

[paulfish4570]

if i may offer the observations of a fundamental beliver in Jesus of Nazareth as my Savior:
christmas is a made-up holiday not mentioned in any way in the Bible. it has been a sickening commercial engine for about 500 years, established in its basic commercial form by some german retailers to get people into their stores.
Jesus more than likely was born in the spring-summer-fall period when shepherds really did watch over their flocks 24/7.
this whole commercial schpiel bothered me to my bones even when i was a young non-believer.
Jesus told his apostles to remember Him as the bread of life and the cup of salvation whenever they gathered for a meal. this command extends to all believers unto this day. He didn't mention his birthday. He didn't expound - at that time - on His upcoming torture and crucifixion. He didn't tell his friends to buy each other presents in His name. When He arose, one of His last acts before the ascension was to cook fish and bake bread for his friends.
this is how believers should remember Him every day, not once a year at grandma's house with most of the family around.
knowing this is what makes me feel lonely this time of year, axiom, even when surrounded by family, knowing that all of this social and commercial pressure is man-made, not God-breathed.
i felt your pain, axiom, as an un-believer, i feel it now, and i will lift you in prayer.

 

[robklurfield]

Paul, speaking as both a non-believer and a Jew, I must say that you certainly did put that well. And, it works for those who believe and those who don't (believe it or not).

 

[Vilk]

...already sad life...

therein lies thy problem. nothing wrong with christmas

even tho' i agree--hogtown weather would throw the dalai lama into severe depression

cheer up! days are getting longer again

😎

 

[leicashot]

cv21 & 90/4 leica

sweet, enjoy!

 

[Keith]

When life gets to the point where it seems pretty bad I have a check list:

Do I have shelter ... yes!

Am I hungry ... no!

I then realise I'm a damned sight better off than a lot of the population on this piece of rock ... and I'm thankful to who and whatever.

 

[robklurfield]

I'll second that.

When life gets to the point where it seems pretty bad I have a check list:

Do I have shelter ... yes!

Am I hungry ... no!

I then realise I'm a damned sight better off than a lot of the population on this piece of rock ... and I'm thankful to who and whatever.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Axiom,

You are actually quite lucky to be near the "someone" who is terminally ill. You are close by and can give them comfort. My mother always used to say something like "I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet". The point is, no matter what our situation, there is always someone worse off than us.

My younger brother had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. His wife never quite realized the seriousness of the situation (I think she was denying the inevitable reality that he would die from this illness) and always discouraged a visit from me. We were 3,000 miles apart as I live on the West Coast and they were on the East Coast. Anyway, I finally convinced her to allow a visit from me. I made a reservation for a flight. After a few days, he took a turn for the worse and was put into intensive care. I changed my flight plans and hopped on the first plane I could get out of Portland. It takes about 8 hours to fly from Portland to Washington, D.C., including a stop to change planes. My younger brother died while I was enroute to see him. Instead of visiting him when he was alive, my only visit was with his dead body. The hospital had kept him in his room and had not taken him down to the morgue as they knew his sister was arriving soon from the West Coast. I never got the chance to comfort him in his final hours. He was only 52.

I am hoping you have perhaps contacted a hospice and can take advantage of any counseling they may offer for those in your situation.

Edited to add: I'll third that! How incredible that I was in effect saying the same thing as Keith and Rob, but did not know it until after I had finished my post and only then saw what they had to say!

Be well,

Ellen

 

[Tipton]

Don't mix the D-76 and the bourbon; no sense in spoiling a good drink. (Maker's Mark produces a 46-year bourbon? Didn't know that. It must be good. Too bad I don't drink anymore).

Haha, no D76 and Bourbon, noted! It's not a 46 year old bourbon though, here's a link:
http://www.luxist.com/2010/04/06/makers-mark-new-46-bourbon-first-taste/

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Great idea! Wish I could convince my wife... 🙂

Eh, when all else fails, booze makes things tolerable! 😎

I'm not married and don't date, so my 'family' means my parents and sister and since I don't live with any of them I can avoid them without convincing anyone 😛

 

[gilpen123]

should be Fiancee'

fiance you said?

 

[Al Patterson]

Any of you are having a lonely Christmas, got nothing better to do than trolling around RFF like me?

Let's share our sorrow.

I'm single and live alone, so I'll be watching the B&W "It's a Wonderful Life" tonight, and the George C Scott version of "A Christmas Carol", along with the Dr Who version tomorrow.

Sure beats getting groped in the airport on the way to visit family...

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm single and live alone, so I'll be watching the B&W "It's a Wonderful Life" tonight, and the George C Scott version of "A Christmas Carol", along with the Dr Who version tomorrow.

Sure beats getting groped in the airport on the way to visit family...

My son is a huge Dr. Who fan, he plans to watch the Dr. Who Christmas Carol too.

 

[Greyscale]

For too many years, Christmas was not a time of celebration for myself and my family, instead, it was a day tinged with sadness as we remembered our father, who chose to take his own life on Christmas day in 1986. But time has faded that sadness, as it eventually fades memories of most of our tragedies.

For a long time, my greatest fear was that I would indeed turn out to be my father's son, as I mirrored his long, slow path towards lonely self-destruction. But I was rescued by a kind, sweet, beautiful woman who loves me in spite of my many eccentricities and shortcomings, and we have carved out a nice quiet little life for ourselves here in the heart of America.

So for Christmas, I choose to celebrate the end of another year with her , and the promise of many, many more to come.

Merry Christmas, and Peace to you all.

 

[Ducky]

Sure beats getting groped in the airport on the way to visit family...

Getting gropped sounds like more fun than sitting home feeling lonely.

My local family (daughter in law, her new husband, two teen age grandkids) were here for dinner.

My Florida family (son and family) will call tomorrow.

My grown grandkids will call tomorrow.

My daughter and husband are due in from Philly on Monday.

My wife and I are sitting here with our feet up, finally, and looking forward to a few days break.

My problem is that it is all so repetitious and redundant. It feels like I just took last years tree down and I already put up this years tree. Ornaments in the same place etc.

You're right, humbug.

 

[robklurfield]

but, consider the alternative.

Sure beats getting groped in the airport on the way to visit family...

Getting gropped sounds like more fun than sitting home feeling lonely.

My local family (daughter in law, her new husband, two teen age grandkids) were here for dinner.

My Florida family (son and family) will call tomorrow.

My grown grandkids will call tomorrow.

My daughter and husband are due in from Philly on Monday.

My wife and I are sitting here with our feet up, finally, and looking forward to a few days break.

My problem is that it is all so repetitious and redundant. It feels like I just took last years tree down and I already put up this years tree. Ornaments in the same place etc.

You're right, humbug.

 

[Ducky]

but, consider the alternative.

You're right, Rob, I'll never doubt the value of what I have.

 

[filmtwit]

While could have stayed at home thinking of camera's and RFF, I gave this to a good friend of mine instead who has been in need of a decent medium format camera for a while.

Happy Holidays every one!