Tags
Christmas, daughters, Diana Schwenk, expectations, family, happy, Holiday, love, parents, sad
I usually get a little sad around this time of year.
It could be that there are less daylight hours…
or maybe there are just high expectations for Christmas.
You know, like how family should be together…
and everyone should just get along?
Honestly, I don’t know why – maybe it’s a combination of all of the above – who knows…
This year is a bit different though.
Maybe because I’m going home for Christmas for the first time in 23 years…
maybe it’s because it’ll be the first Christmas EVER that we’ll all (my mom and dad, my brother, his wife and son, me and my daughter) be together!
Maybe that’s why I’m feeling the Christmas spirit this year.
Maybe that’s why I actually put up a tree – albeit a small one.
This is one of my favourite Christmas songs and Sugarland really does it justice.
How about you? How do you feel about the holidays?
What are your plans this year?
talktodiana 
Enjoy your family Christmas. It will be fantastic for you all.
I am having a break with tradition and having Christmas in London UK with my two youngest children. Looking forward to it.
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Enjoy. I hope you have lots of laughs and create tonnes of memories!
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You are not alone in that sense of something at Christmas time. I was looking for some Christmas quotes for my status board at work and found some that were touching to me in a different way:
“Isn’t it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for — I don’t know what exactly, but it’s something that you don’t mind so much not having at other times.” ~~Kate L. Bosher
“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home.” ~~Carol Nelson
“Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year — and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority.” ~~W.J. Cameron
“Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.” ~~Tom Sims.
(That last one was just for fun.)
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haha – good ones, especially the last one!
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The world is filled with mysterious and weird coincidences like that! You just have to be observant and analytical.
For example, I did some measuring and discovered a weird “coincidence”: all the walls of my place meet at perpendicular angles! I’m serious, 90 degrees, every time! They even meet the floor at that angle!!
I mean, come on, what are the odds of that being just a coincidence? No, there’s something going on behind the scenes there, I’m sure of it!
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Too funny but good thing as it adds to structural integrity!
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It’s like that joke about how time keeps everything from happening all at once. Those walls keep the ceiling from being the floor!
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Diana,
I’m afraid I haven’t ever been very much of a Christmas cheer person. Holidays are difficult for me, celebrations of any kind really.
I’m glad it’s different and better for you this year. Enjoy your time with your family. May you have lots of memories to cherish.
Blessings,
Kina
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Thank you Kina, I hope you find some joy this holiday season as well!
xo
Diana
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Sounds great – I am glad that you are going home. Have a safe and blessed trip. Patty
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Thanks Patty. Merrry Christmas to you and Mr. Patty and any little Pattys that might be running around! 😉
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😉 My little Patty’s are now 31 and 26.
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ohhhh they’re BIG Pattys… 😉
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😀 LOL
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Yay! That sounds wonderful! I am a bit of a holiday freak. Every year I go to Baltimore to be with my family and Carlos goes to Argentina to be with his and then we meet up in Buenos Aires and go on vacation. People don’t understand why we never spend Christmas together, but it reall works for us. Enjoy it, Diana!!! Hope you’re doing great. Sorry I have been MIA – work has been ridiculously busy lately. Missed you and the rest of the gang!
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Wow! I love the way you spend Christmas! Thank you for your good wishes and back at ya! No worries about being MIA – I understand busy. 🙂
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🙂 I know you do. I love that about you!!
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So happy for you Diana. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
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Thank you my friend and back at ya!
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Hey Diana, the days are getting longer (and hotter) over here, have a great reunion, cheers Graeme
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Thank you Graeme – Happy Holidays to you! Are you down-under? or maybe I’m up-over? 🙂
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we are standing upside down here
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(smiling)
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Love your tree! And so happy for your excitement of time spent together!
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Thank you, I’m so excited!!
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It doesn’t show! 🙂
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So many people are sad or depressed at this amazing time of year and that is sad it sucks that some people feel bad when it really is a wonderful time of year
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Yes it’s true…could be lack of daylight hours here…
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23 years – Wow! That’s a long time. I would miss my peeps too much.
I am the one who lives far away so I make the trip home most every Christmas. It’s my break from the grind. I did have my brother’s family here one year and that was fun. I think I am painting a house this year as well as getting some tattoo work done. Back home on New Years Eve, because no place is crazier than Vegas that night.
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You’re painting a whole house? I’m impressed! I can’t even imagine what Vegas would be like on New Year’s Eve!
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Well, my brother says it will be ready to paint – his last kitchen remodel took 2 years so I think I’ll get off pretty easy. New Years in Vegas is pandemonium – I’m glad to skip town before it all goes down.
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You have such an interesting and FULL life! do you ever relax?
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I do relax when I’m off work – hanging with the family is relaxing even if they make me work:) I think they have the pool ready – so I can chill poolside while the paint dries
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Ok that’s comforting because I was starting to feel like such sloth beside you!
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LOL – I have my veg times for sure! You look like you’re pretty busy yourself!
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Looks, as they say, can be deceiving. 😉
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🙂
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I think you are right, everyone has memories or their favorite Christmas’s and thats what we expect and then Life happens. But getting together is great. And your daughter gets soem great face time too. enjoy, enjoy…one of my carols favorites too.
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Thanks I will! Merry Christmas to your clan as well.
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that is great news!
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Pretty exciting!
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Hi Diana,
Thank you for sharing your Christmas spirit! There are lots of expectations of what Christmas should be, look like, smell like and be. Just so you know I don’t have a tree yet, weird for me! Sprained my ankle and everything is in slow motion! I am watching lots of cheesy Christmas movies, enjoying using my Christmas mugs for coffee and the lights in my neighborhood. Thinking of your special Christmas with your family!!!
Blessings,
Letty
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Hi Letty,
Hope you heal up quickly and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with all the people you love. I think of you and all the other awesome people I met through Russ Reid and miss you…If you’re ever out this way…
blessings to you Letty!
Diana
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Lovely, hope you have a great time 🙂 Getting my tree up helped me feel a bit more festive.
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something about making the room dark except for the lights on the tree that always makes me feel festive!
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One of my favourites too! and the sadness will pass, but the love will continue forever! 🙂 Hugs my friend.
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Thanks Louise – Happy Holidays to you, CC and the girls!
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It’s a lovely tree, Diana. I’m glad you’re feeling the Christmas spirit, and hope the holiday brings all you’re wishing for. ❤
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Thank you very much and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours too!
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It sounds as though you are going to have a great Christmas.. we will be at my Son’s in the Kalahari with his wife and daughter and my one daughter and her husband and two kids will be with us as well… but I must admit I always get a little nostalgic about not having my surviving Mom with us and I always think of all my family that have passed on. The Christmases of the past always return as memories and I wish we could all still be together…
But then we do have so much to be thankful for… but you have a good one.. we leave on Saturday for the 650 Km. drive and only return on the 8th of January.
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Thank you bull dog! Does your mom live too far away? Safe traveling to you and yours and a very Merry Christmas to all!
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Thank you.. she is near us here but too old to take to the bush for a month…
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ahh I see… too bad.
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I used to love how there was one day in the year in this country, when nothing worked. Everything stopped. Nowadays, you can book Christmas dinner/lunch (albeit at quite a high price) at your local pub or restaurant. You can always go to the off-licence and buy some booze. Most things, like public transport, are still off limits though and it forces you to stop for one day in the year. It means that for now, my immediate family reconvenes and spends pretty much a whole day together – that’s quite rare these days. I treasure that. And my mum’s amazing Christmas dinner. She’s the best 🙂
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A lot of stuff is still open here but it does all close early, like 4ish…
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By the way, one of my favourite carols too – thanks for sharing. I love the minor key going into “Rejoice!” 🙂
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I love the minor key as well!
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Pardon me, this may be a bit presumptuous, but shall we be friends? 😉
Have a lovely Christmas and make sure you empty those lungs and belt out a few carols yourself. I haven’t forgotten your beautiful voice, revealed in a recent post – methinks your singing voice must be lovely too! x
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(smiling) I treasure so much the friendships that are formed here online and I count you as one of those friends.
Hmmm I know what it sounds like when someone is on key and I’m not sure I can say with confidence that it be me. 😉
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Thank you! I treasure you! Let’s sing whatever key takes our fancy together lol 🙂
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haha!
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Safe travels and joyous holiday!
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Thank you so much Lisa! And a wonderful Holiday season to you. xo
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Your christmas sounds exciting 🙂
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It will be awesome I’m sure! I’ll try to capture a lot of good pictures to share!
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Would love to see them 🙂
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🙂
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