I wouldn't say I was bah-humbug this holiday season, but I haven't been feeling it either. Most of my family is either gone or moved away. My wife's family has always been on the naughty list and she hasn't talked to them in decades (with god reason). She and I have everything we need, so we didn't exchange gifts this year. It's amazing how stress free it was.
We went out for a nice meal on Christmas Eve, then to IHOP for breakfast Christmas Day (no dishes to do). I left holiday cheer sized tips for our servers and everyone was cheerful, despite having to work. Then she and I went home and spent six hard hours clearing ice storm damage in our yard. After cleaning up, we settled in for a movie and just spent all of our time together. I don't feel even slightly diminished for not having braved the shopping crush.
It was so nice, I think I might get my wife a "thank you" gift for not making me do that.
We went out for a nice meal on Christmas Eve, then to IHOP for breakfast Christmas Day (no dishes to do). I left holiday cheer sized tips for our servers and everyone was cheerful, despite having to work. Then she and I went home and spent six hard hours clearing ice storm damage in our yard. After cleaning up, we settled in for a movie and just spent all of our time together. I don't feel even slightly diminished for not having braved the shopping crush.
It was so nice, I think I might get my wife a "thank you" gift for not making me do that.