Birthdays/holidays...celebrate them or ignore them?

[dixiegrrrrl]

Except when my kids were young, I have not "done anything" around major holidays and my birthday.
For decades now.
When I had my career, I often volunteered to man the office/desk/phones/crisis line/soup kitchen on the holidays so that other staff could have their time off, then I would take a couple days off later in the month.

i suspect I am not alone in this feeling. True?

[rrneck]

1. I pretty much ignore them.

And the invitations to holiday gatherings are tiresome as well.

[MadrasT]

2. Ignore them all!

Except Memorial Day. Lots of vets in my family so I go on cemetary visitations. Not exactly "celebration" like most people think of for holidays.

And my birthday I always take a vacation day and do whatever I want all day.

Holidays mean visiting people. As if.

[LWolf]

3. Downplay.

I can't ignore; my very small extended family won't let me. Still, we don't do much for bdays, and our holiday gatherings are small, informal, and as relaxed as you can get.

[bemildred]

4. Ideal times to go where everybody isn't.

Since people tend to clump up on certain holidays, sometimes to party, sometimes to eat.

Though your ideas are good ones too, give a little something back to those who have nothing to celebrate. I think I'll look into that this year.

And sometimes I have to let my family know I do care, so I go clump up with them for a while.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. "go clump with "..... I like that phrase.

I'll tell you what got me started on volunteering my time during the holidays.
Many many many years ago, in the late mid 70's, in Seattle, I was one of a group that started Seattle's Battered Women's Shelter. The house we used had only one person on staff at night.
I volunteered to be the weekend "on-call" person on New Year's.
And there was a fire at the shelter, no one was killed, but it was bad enough the residents had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out, then re-located.
There were children with their Moms, it was a hectic bit of business to get them all squared away.
Spent all New Year's Eve into the morning at the hospital making calls, re-assuring the Moms, etc.
I remember afterwards that I thought it was such a lucky co-incidence that I was available, since most of the other Board Members were out of town during the holiday, and someone from the Board had to be present to make arrangements and sign off on the funds for the emergency housing.
Of all the now 60 + New Year's Eves in my life, that is the one I still remember vivdly.

[bemildred]

6. Well yeah, loner is not all all the same thing as anti-social.

And I really do empathize with the down and out, I've been there, I know what it costs.

My Dad lived in Victoria in the 70s and we used to drive up and take the Ferry or the Clipper to visit. Seattle is a great town.

And good for you.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. I'd offer to work for the answering service on any holiday.

Peace and quiet and overtime.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Yeah, there is that, indeed.

[jp11]

9. For a long while I'd not work on my birthday so I wouldn't have to 'report' or

deal with people wishing me happy birthday or inquiring into my plans. I rarely ever did anything only once and a while would I 'treat' myself to some outing or the like. I've since stopped caring as much and while I'd still rather not work, I just feel a bit like I should treat myself to not dealing with people I don't want to deal with on that day, granted I feel like that all the time but still.

I also worked a bit more on holidays because I didn't have anything going on to help out those that did but the last few years I've been less inclined to volunteer for that abuse. I'll still stick around to help out and lessen the burden of others but not so much volunteer for the honor of basically getting screwed, I think that's more how my jobs were in previous years vs now.

My natural feeling and inclination is to ignore them all it is just when I have to deal with other people that I have to engage in their celebration. I'm almost always caught off guard with holidays greetings/wishes because they are just another day and if I'm lucky a paid day off for me.

[Trunk Monkey]

10. I work for a security company , we don't take holidays off.

It's kind of nice to be the only one here (actually I'm the only one here right now) but I have to put up with hourly radio checks that I don't have to deal with on a normal day.

[SCALA13]

11. Same here....

ever since I started working, christmas presents have been irrelevant since and I always tend to work on my birthdays.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. How nice to hear I am "not the only one".

Altho....my birthday is this week and I really do want a present of watching Mitt scurry away with his rat tail between his legs.
That will be sufficient celebration.

[Whisp]

14. you got that present with a huge beautiful bow on it.

heheh.

[Whisp]

13. pretty well the same for me now.

when my girl was young that was different, but now when my birthday comes along, meh. I appreciate people remembering it but it's just not all that important.

I'm pretty bad at remembering others birthdays so maybe it's a way to compensate, or something.

Back when the holidays just exhausted me what with working, kid, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc., now I just like it as simple as it possibly can be - and I'm glad my little circle of beloved ones think the same way now as well.