NYE is on it's way

I saw this from a person I follow on Instagram.

I just love this meme. I never understood why everyone gets their panties in a twist if I say Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas. 

If I know you celebrate Christmas I say Merry Christmas.

But to strangers in a grocery store who I know nothing about I think it's nice and respectful to just say Happy Holidays. 

I have a Jewish friend and I say Happy Hanukkah to her. I asked her once if she was offended if a store clerk said, "Merry Xmas" She laughed and said, "Oh hell no the majority are celebrating it and I understand but sometimes I wish they "got it".

I asked if saying Happy Holidays makes her feel better. She said yes and no. 

She told me it was far worse when they had an office Xmas party and didn't invite her because she was Jewish. Can you believe that? It's an office holiday celebration - you aren't really celebrating God in any way by downing liquor and eating too much stale office party food. She was upset and I can certainly see why.

This to me was all kinds of wrong. 

Not everyone celebrates Xmas. Do you know not everyone celebrates birthdays?

I remember finding that out as a kid and I was blown away. That family across the street didn't do Halloween either and as a kid, I always felt sorry for them. But it appears it did not bother them one bit because that was their religion. (Religion, the #1 cause of war)

I will admit I felt so sorry for these kids that as a kid I tried to give her some of my Halloween candy on the school bus. She reached for it and then pulled away and said she couldn't. I assumed as a child she thought she'd get in trouble but it was very confusing to me at the time in 2nd grade. 

My favorite holiday is my birthday so if I had to grow up in that religion I am certain I would have rebelled. Then again I would never have known it was my favorite holiday if it was never celebrated.

I have never enjoyed Christmas or New Years Holidays. Sure as a kid I liked getting the gifts but by my teens I found the holiday stifling and filled with pressure just as I do now. It's funny how I remember my worst Christmas but not my favorite. Odd isn't it? Well ya'll know I'm odd 

(my mom died just a few weeks before my worst Christmas)

In fact, Rick and I dislike NYEve so much we decided to get married on NYEve so we'd like it. And by God, it worked. 

As a 20 something or even in my early 30s I was always invited to New Year's Eve parties. I dreaded them. I can sincerely tell you that there was never one that stood out as fun to me. It was always the same old. Oh, there were fancy ones, fancy ones held in an enormous ballroom, small intimate ones at a family or friends, or even the really small ones with just a couple of people in a bar environment. All of them are awful to us. Everyone getting stupid drunk and I don't find that fun apparently.

There is this expectation and it always falls short. As I got older I stopped going because I just didn't want to go. I found having some wine or champagne at home alone was better than these parties. Oh, how my girlfriends bugged me about this.
"You want to stay home alone?" "You don't want to get dressed up and party with us?"   Yes, that is right, I'd rather stay home, not necessarily alone but I am alone so yes that is fine. I can have some champagne in my pj's and have more fun than a party. I'll rent a movie (remember renting movies?) 

I got a lot of grief over the years and then peer pressured to go. And when I was younger I could be peer pressured into stupid parties but by the time I hit 30 I had had enough already! I'm an adult I can do what I want when I want to within the laws of the land. I am allowed to stay home if I wish. 

Then I met Rick, he felt the same. NYE to him was just a letdown. The first one we watched a movie and had some champagne and in our pj's no less. I made dinner he was on dessert and he made homemade creme brulee ladies. And it was to die for.

We danced in the kitchen while cooking dinner. We had a nice evening.

It was one of the best NYE we had ever had.  But each year the invites would come, the whining, "oh c'mon come with us, it'll be fun, don't be party poopers"  Oh we heard it all. We even had people call us from a noisy bar or wherever to try to convince us to meet them. Nope. 

After 4 years of friendship and 2 years of dating/living together we made it official. On Dec 31, 1993, we got married in a flower-filled gazebo overlooking the sun setting over Caribbean waters in Montego Bay Jamaica. It was fabulous. 

Best NYE ever! We made it a day we will like now forever.  

And you know what is best?  When you get those pesky invites, all you have to say is, Oh it's our anniversary we've got plans. 

EVERYONE  backs off instantly. Not one whiner or begging fool. No questions asked, they just let it go.  It's been great!

So look at us, we made it a day we like. We also made it a day we don't have to share with anyone else or be given grief if we want to be alone.

If I didn't know better I'd think those damn kids were pretty smart!