The Ghost of Christmas Obligations

Carrying on with the current christmas theme, another less talked about aspect for this time of year is seeing family or distant friends that you tend to, not avoid, but just not see for your own personal wellbeing. Yes everyone talks about the chaos that can be Christmas day, with some family gatherings feeling more like an episode of EastEnders; but what I'm referring to is the pre or post Christmas day visits that I'm sure most people must have. These visits come out of the feeling that 'its that time of year' and the pang of guilt that comes along with it. Now, you may avoid or not see these people for a very good reason and if it weren't for certain ties or loyalties and 'keeping the peace' you may have cut them off a long time ago, but Christmas has a way of bringing them and the associated guilt of not seeing them to the forefront. 

I had my version of this last week, but luckily it went ok aside from a couple of comments and feeling as though I were literally trapped against a wall at one point. What made this easier is I had a human filter there in the form of my nephew who steals the attention of anyone in the room with his cuteness. In all honesty this is the only reason I was able to fathom and get through the visit, it also very much helped in the run up to it knowing I had an extra protection layer in the form of my brother and his family. It's also lead me to the conclusion that perhaps this is how meet ups of this nature should be done for now. Getting this visit done is also a matter of my own sanity over Christmas, knowing that 1) they've seen me 2) I haven't got to worry about a visit without those additional protection layers and 3) the worst outcome of a scathing message berating me for not seeing the person at this 'important time'. 
So, ultimately, my guilt is subsided for at least 4 months now and I can rest a little easier over Christmas! Perhaps this is even the beginning of a new chapter for that relationship, but I'm not going to bet on that just yet.

For those reading this with these kind of visits either playing on your mind or in the near future, I wish you luck, I also encourage you to make it as bearable as possible for your own sanity!

On that note, this will be my last post until the new year, so those who read my blog I am very grateful for your readership and wish you a healthy, happy and drama free Christmas! 

Ta ta for now! 

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