What? I had to just stop doing what my family expected. Last year, I cooked dinner for TG Day – but I did it one dish at a time, froze them, then thawed and baked on TG Day – it made it “manageable.” But, I was exhausted for 3 days afterward (my family did not want that for me).
But, last Christmas, my husband and I decided (since we are on limited income from SS Disability) that we could send a “money gift” to our grandchildren (have 10 now) and that was it. We did not put up a tree, decorate the house or shop in crowded malls, no shopping on-line. The on-line and catalog retailers have been in shock ever since – keep sending me stuff to entice me to buy. We just skipped the whole commercial part of Christmas. And, our family does understand and still loves us very much! Life can be less stressful. This might be pretty extreme to some of you, but it is a holiday without stress for us. Joy in SoGA
