Gratitude Project: Days 54-61/61 (Holiday Edition)
Well, I pretty much dropped the ball on this Gratitude Project thing. And since it's been so long since my last update, rather than log my gratitude for each day missed, I'm going to break my own rules and make one single post encompassing my overall feelings of gratitude for this final week of 2012.
It's New Year's Eve and after tomorrow, the holidays are over. For this, I am both grateful and sad. This holiday season was one of the toughest for me, simply because I often found myself too angry, too bitter, too jaded to care. (I suppose working retail will do that to you.) But finally, on Christmas Eve night and all throughout Christmas Day, I got into the spirit. I finally felt that bit of Christmas magic that can only come as a result of one thing: love. Though we were unable to spend time with our families and friends, I was somehow able to feel their warmth and love somehow transcend space to comfort and embrace us on the most joyous of holidays. The spirit of Santa lives.
I'm grateful that after tomorrow, the holiday shoppers will stay home and the mall will be dead and I won't have to deal with (as many) "difficult" (for lack of a better word) customers anymore. I'm grateful that I will at last be able to breathe. I'm grateful that the rude, selfish, greedy and materialistic side of people that I see will soon dissipate. Sure, it will still be there and always exist, but it seems to come out most during the holidays, which is ironic, because that's not what the Christmas season should be about, at all.
I'm grateful for the good times Kevin and I had on Christmas and the days preceding and following it. On Christmas Eve, we went to Target and bought a bunch of junk food: Pepperidge Farm cookies, Chips Ahoy, Tostitos tortilla chips, salsa, nacho cheese, bean dip, cola-flavored gummies and cookie dough ice cream. So much junk! But it was fun and felt Christmasy and sort of like we were kids again. That night, we watched Home Alone, which I love and found myself loving even more this year for some reason. "Guys, I'm eating junk food and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!" That should have been me who said that. It was pretty much a great night for us.
On Christmas Day, Kevin and I opened presents from his family. They did a wonderful job! They gave us a fondue-for-two set, a Mickey Mouse hot chocolate set, the Dark Knight Rises on blu-ray, a digital picture frame, money to put toward a new TV, and a new blu-ray player (we already have one, but we're gonna need two once we get that new television set)! My parents, meanwhile, had already deposited money into my bank for Christmas, as did my brother. Their financial contributions will also go toward getting that new TV. My sister sent us The Lion King 3D on blu-ray, which I've been wanting since last year and we're excited about watching once we get that new TV. So, all great gifts and lovely surprises - none of which were necessary or expected, but all very welcome and cherished.
Of course, Kevin and I watched several holiday specials, which always help make things feel merry and bright. On Christmas Day night, since we had no one to celebrate with, we just stayed in and ordered Chinese food, which was nice, though I was already stuffed on all the junk I had been eating! And the day after Christmas we went to go see The Hobbit, which was half bored me, half interested me, but visually caught my attention.
Kevin and I have had a really great time this last week of 2012. Despite all the good times this past week and the year have brought, I can say without a doubt that I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL and RELIEVED that this year is OVER! While no doomsday occurred here, 2012 easily ranks as my third worst year ever. I am sooo grateful for the promise of hope that a new year brings. And I'm grateful for the love that lifts me up and carries me through each and every single time.
It's New Year's Eve and after tomorrow, the holidays are over. For this, I am both grateful and sad. This holiday season was one of the toughest for me, simply because I often found myself too angry, too bitter, too jaded to care. (I suppose working retail will do that to you.) But finally, on Christmas Eve night and all throughout Christmas Day, I got into the spirit. I finally felt that bit of Christmas magic that can only come as a result of one thing: love. Though we were unable to spend time with our families and friends, I was somehow able to feel their warmth and love somehow transcend space to comfort and embrace us on the most joyous of holidays. The spirit of Santa lives.
I'm grateful that after tomorrow, the holiday shoppers will stay home and the mall will be dead and I won't have to deal with (as many) "difficult" (for lack of a better word) customers anymore. I'm grateful that I will at last be able to breathe. I'm grateful that the rude, selfish, greedy and materialistic side of people that I see will soon dissipate. Sure, it will still be there and always exist, but it seems to come out most during the holidays, which is ironic, because that's not what the Christmas season should be about, at all.
I'm grateful for the good times Kevin and I had on Christmas and the days preceding and following it. On Christmas Eve, we went to Target and bought a bunch of junk food: Pepperidge Farm cookies, Chips Ahoy, Tostitos tortilla chips, salsa, nacho cheese, bean dip, cola-flavored gummies and cookie dough ice cream. So much junk! But it was fun and felt Christmasy and sort of like we were kids again. That night, we watched Home Alone, which I love and found myself loving even more this year for some reason. "Guys, I'm eating junk food and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!" That should have been me who said that. It was pretty much a great night for us.
On Christmas Day, Kevin and I opened presents from his family. They did a wonderful job! They gave us a fondue-for-two set, a Mickey Mouse hot chocolate set, the Dark Knight Rises on blu-ray, a digital picture frame, money to put toward a new TV, and a new blu-ray player (we already have one, but we're gonna need two once we get that new television set)! My parents, meanwhile, had already deposited money into my bank for Christmas, as did my brother. Their financial contributions will also go toward getting that new TV. My sister sent us The Lion King 3D on blu-ray, which I've been wanting since last year and we're excited about watching once we get that new TV. So, all great gifts and lovely surprises - none of which were necessary or expected, but all very welcome and cherished.
Of course, Kevin and I watched several holiday specials, which always help make things feel merry and bright. On Christmas Day night, since we had no one to celebrate with, we just stayed in and ordered Chinese food, which was nice, though I was already stuffed on all the junk I had been eating! And the day after Christmas we went to go see The Hobbit, which was half bored me, half interested me, but visually caught my attention.
Kevin and I have had a really great time this last week of 2012. Despite all the good times this past week and the year have brought, I can say without a doubt that I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL and RELIEVED that this year is OVER! While no doomsday occurred here, 2012 easily ranks as my third worst year ever. I am sooo grateful for the promise of hope that a new year brings. And I'm grateful for the love that lifts me up and carries me through each and every single time.