Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Another Christmas is almost gone, wrapping paper crumpled, hugs and kisses exchanged.

We drove to be with those so dear and loved. We visited with family and close friends. We ate fantastic tasting food. We shared and joined in the singing of Favorite Carols and heard a wonderful Christmas Sermon.

Leah received, suede boots, two sweater tops, electric raiser, lightweight Cargill jacket, leatherwork gloves and some power tools. And I received a, rich chocolate brown velvet jacket, 2 beautiful tops, a gold chain necklace, and a Dell Laptop.

We made the initial plans with some of the family for a family reunion.

How about the rest of you here?

Peggiann

It seems you had a wonderful time.  Ours was very quite (it usually is) our daughter and our mom came up on Christmas eve and stayed over night to spend Christmas day with us.  It was really nice.  One of the best parts is Christmas day breakfast, consisting of piles of crispy bacon, lots of eggs, toast, juice, coffee, and a glass of Bailey's Irish Cream, yum.  we usually end up sitting at the table for a couple of hours, chatting the morning away.

Moments to cherish.

Steph

We spent a quite day at home. Played Christmas music, drank wine, talked to our grandkids on the phone. I cooked a Ham, It's an Aretha Franklin recipe called The Queen of Soul Ham. It's delicious, and several other dishes. We stuffed ourselves and watched movies one of which was Tim Allen in "The Santa Clause." We love that movie and watch it every Christmas.

We also watched the movie "Crash" which was a very interesting story full of twists and ironies which take place on a Christmas Eve in L.A. Lots of great actors in it Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillion, Brendan Fraiser and many others. Anyway it was a really wonderful and relaxed Christmas which we enjoyed very much.

Cassie

We "officially" got out of bed at 7:30, though my boy was up at 2:05 AM.  Spent the day with family.  I won't say it was quiet because anyone who has ever had a 9-year old boy knows that they are NOT quiet! :D  But it was fun.

We had an early dinner.  I was creative and made gingerbread-man shapped biscuits.  Then hot turkey sandwiches about six hours later .  Yummmmm!

Chaunte

We pretty much had Christmas a day early.  My sisters and their families came over about 4:30ish and we had dinner.  A tradition in our family is Swedish sausage, and I had missed this the last four years, having lived in Michigan during that time.  It is good food, but honestly makes me a little sick after five or six pieces.  We opened presents, kids first to get the giddiness out.  One of my nieces was not feeling well, so she was tired and kind of grumpy, but overall it was a fun evening.  At the end of the evening, my mom passed out cards to all us kids of the family.  Each one had a heart-felt loving message inside, and one last gift - some spending money.  The message in my card was very touching; my mother wrote how she hoped everything I am going through will be smooth and that they are supporting me.

On the actual day of Christmas, my aunts and uncles came over at 3:00 for an early dinner (more sausage!) and a few more gifts.  Then it was talking and reminiscing about the "good old days".  Being the younger generation, I really couldn't connect with this, and I was often getting up to get more food.  I finally found a quiet spot and listened to some music for a while.

And in two days I'm flying back to Michigan for a week to visit some friends that I left behind up there when I moved back home.  That is my real Christmas gift this year, spending New Year's with them.  (They're a lot more fun than my family. ;) )

It was a wonderful day!

I am non-Christian but it was still special. I had two "first dates" yesterday - a BUSY day  ::)

One fellow I will be seeing again, the other not. So I guess you could say my "Christmas present" was a really nice Jewish man LOL!

QuoteSo I guess you could say my "Christmas present" was a really nice Jewish man LOL!

How ironic, Jane...my Christmas present was a really nice Jewish male, too...LOL  :D Glad to hear it was pleasant for you all....

My mum and I got away from town, because Christmas is still hard for her. Stayed in a very nice resort and listened to the rainstorms coming down. I don't have a bathtub at home, so I spent most of my time in the soaker tub wallowing like a seal.

I read 4 novels in 3 days (I'm a bit of a voracious reader and my tastes are distinctly unseasonal - tending toward the murder mystery), and swapped books with mum (whose tastes are equally unseasonal - one year she rented 'Silence of the Lambs' for our Christmas movie).

Mum said what she wanted most for Christmas was a non-smoking son. Unfortunately, I think I can only comply with half of that.

Dennis

Was all good.. until my radiator blew on the way home...

Guess I'll be taking a taxi to work tomorrow   :'(

Oh well, and this too shall pass

D

Ooooo... Sory yours ended that way.

Peggiann

My Christmas was bad considering...

My wife and daughter had to go to her mom's to see her grandma who is not expected to be here much longer. So I had Christmas by myself. On the up side,  I had lots of time to "be me"

I bought myself a pair of new earrings and a new wig for Christmas.  As for other presents, we are waiting till my wife gets home to exchange the rest of our gifts.

Sorry to hear that Lilith,

I had a reasonably quiet one catching up with family and spending time with my wife and my six kids. (If you can call that quiet ::)

Shelley

My Christmas was kind of quite. My grandson (7) and my daughter came over and we opened presents from Santa. My partner  and I had a nice breakfast before all the excitement and during the day we put out turkey and ham and a few salads that I had made the day before for buffet. After the presents then it was the dog and our grandson all over the house. It was really nice.
Sheila

Dennis,

I love our country claw footed tub too. I am 5'11" and it's so nice to have a deep long tub to soak in. I too am a reader... I love a good mystry and well as Romance Novel's I think my favorite book series is a western group that intertwine history and environmental beauty altogether with the mystry and romance. Great books some 25 in the group it took Leah and I about 7 months to get them all read.

Shelley,
I don't think I have ever heard six kids be quiet in all my 30 years of teaching.

Lilith,
Hope your family are able to join you soon.

Stephanie,
We had to opportuntiy to taste some sweedish sausage at my Aunts growing up. I remember it the same way good for the first six or seven bites. I'm Sweedish and Danish on my Dad's side.

I really have enjoyed reading about everyone's Christmas. I hope to hear more.

Peggiann

Mine went quite well, or at least certainly better than the last dozen.

We went up to see my Grandparents as usual, but this was the first time I've seen them since we've told them about my situation.  I think this was the first Christmas in a very very long time that I've enjoyed.

Isn't amazing how dropping facades makes living more enjoyable in many aspects of ones life.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.
Peggiann

Quote from: Peggiann on December 25, 2005, 09:01:36 PM
How about the rest of you here?

The whole house had intestinal flu  :icon_blah:

C'est le vie.  Glad to hear good cheer was had by most.

Dawn

Intestinal flu.  Had that last year...NOT fun.  This year was much better though.  Typical, family was in town, friends came over, kids opened gifts and mom and dad TRIED to go to bed early...didn't work.

Was my turn to host Christmas dinner this year for my in-laws here in denmark, so lots of cooking and cleaning.  It went ok but I sure miss my mom and brothers alot this time of year.  2 are in the states and 1 is in australia :(  Best thing about Christmas is its over! (at least no intestinal flu or food poisoning around here)
Kristi

Kristi,

I bet you did a great meal.Yes it is nice when it's over and you can put the home back to normal isn't it.

When I grew up I was from a family of 11 children. Yes I ment to hit the #1 key twice. So I'm used to a large group for getting together for Holidays too. My family used to be very close. When I married and moved to the middle of the USA I became the out cast or the one too far to travel to see. So my family has never came to visit me in almost 25 years, except for 1 sister about 9 years ago and a brother about 15 years ago. I was the one to travel and call and write only to have them never return those gestures. Sometimes I would travel all the way out to Washington for a visit and be ther a week and only have 3 of those 11 sibilings come over to my folks home to see me. The rest were to busy. I haven't seen them in over 2 years now and probably won't. I do have on sister in AZ that emails maybe twice a year. The holiday time is the hardest or me because we used to be so close and have such wonderful get-togethers when we were kids growing up...I miss that part.

Peggiann

Hi Peggiann,

Unfortunately that is the way of so many families these days there doesn't seem to be the time to socialise with family and friends of times gone by.

Robert Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone" which is about the decline of the American sense of community. It is transferable into most western society. He talks of the phenomenon of the fifties where people went bowling a couple of times a week and how that helped build the fabric of that community. Because people don't have the time anymore to socialise as we once did the social capital in the form of social networks is breaking down.

I think he's right but I don't know how we capture that concern for our fellow human being. I used to think that christmas was the saviour of this but I see in todays generation more and more excuses not to participate or to only participate with the shortest commitment.

I think I'm starting to sound like my Grandparents talking about the good old days.

Shelley

I think I'm starting to sound like my Grandparents talking about the good old days.

I know I think I am too. Mark Twain said the older I get the wise my parent seem to become. I hope that's true in our case. I always thought my Grandparents just so grand and wise. I enjoyed listening to them. I wouldn't want my kids and family member listening because they thought they had to.

Robert Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone"

I have read this but think it sounds like a good one to check out next time I'm at the Library.

Smiles,

Peggiann