I hated today

[Xmasdread22]

I didn't enjoy myself. I find it all really overwhelming and my social battery is completely depleted. My family are fairly strained at the best of times and today was tense and I didn't enjoy being in someone else's house all day long but no one else wanted to go for a walk or the pub or anything. I'm so relieved it's over.

hear even

Because the people would be fucking furious that you refused to participate in Christmas and you would get the backlash right into the new year and beyond. In 2020 we didn’t go to MIL’s for Christmas dinner and it’s taken her three years to unblock me. At least if you plaster on a smile and pretend to be happy it only lasts for one day!

What would you prefer to do, if you could do anything?

If it's a solo holiday abroad you could lie and say you'd won it in a lottery at work; if you'd rather be home alone you could fake norovirus and tell them you're puking like a waterspout; if it's being with friends use the norovirus excuse, close your curtains and tell them you slept all day.

Doesn’t work if you’re the host! DH would continue to host them downstairs and I’d have to hide in the bedroom all day and pretend to be sick. Which is not what I want at all.

I feel so much better this morning now its all done.

Leading up to actual Christmas day was months of whether my parent would be "allowed" at my brothers house or not. Which caused me loads of anxiety as I was going to have to choose between them.