A Sober Christmas?? No ******** Way!!!!

Sunnyisland · 06-12-2011 1:21pm #1

Many years ago, my son asked Santa for a garage for Christmas. You know the ones, heavy plastic that you slot together to make a multi story building complete with ramps ? He had been talking about it for months and I was delighted to have it nestled safely under my bed upstairs with his other bits and pieces.

Christmas Eve came at last and the kids were washed and scrubbed, new pajamas and off to bed they went, full of hope for Christmas morning.

As it is tradition in a lot of Irish homes I was doing the turkey,
The turkey is cooked the night before, so I poured myself a stiff vodka for me and my wife, The fire was blazing and I remember feeling so content as I Stuffed the turkey, popped it into the oven and went to sit down and put my feet up till the kids went to sleep and I could set up the toys.

Telly was good that night and I was in a happy mood, “pour me another when you are at it” I called to my other half who was being busy....”a strong one” I added. It was Christmas Eve after all.

The smell of the turkey was wafting out, Christmas songs on the tv and I was getting slowly toasted and mellow.....wonderful feeling. Went to check the turkey, was browning nicely, splashed my hand with hot juices while basting but not too bad, now another 30 mins and it would be done!
Time to get the pressies down and set them up.

Now when we opened the box, there were MILLIONS of bits, “hang on till I get another drink, we are gonna need one to set this **** up” I said, so went into the kitchen and poured 2 stiff ones and came back to help out. It is SO complicated, piece B fits into piece D and piece R goes parallel to piece L, I soon lost interest and gave up and left the wife to do it while I went in to pour a drink and take the turkey out. WOW, it looked lovely but God it was heavy, some juices slopped over the side and onto the floor, will mop that up in a min, just finish this drink first.

Went in to see how the wife was getting on with the garage, COOL! she had it done. I touched it....”Is it meant to be so wobbly?” I asked. “DON'T touch it you ” she says, if you touch it it will fall. We gently put the stickers on and the road markings and stood back to admire our handiwork. “He is gonna LOVE it” I said....WHOOOHOOO!

A couple of drinks later and the munchies came to visit, I had a great idea of turkey sandwiches! Half a sliced pan later, I came back in with a pile of sambo's and 2 more stiff ones. Don't remember what I watched on the telly but I do remember stumbling up to bed and falling asleep VERY quickly (passing out)

“MAMMY !DADDY”“MAMMY”! Oh God NO!, it could NOT be morning?? I have only just gone to bed. My head is pounding, my mouth feels like Bob Geldof slept in it and I slept funny on my neck and cannot move it. With every ounce of energy I could muster and crawl out of bed, put a smile on my face and try to look excited. Kids are bobbing up and down like lunatics waiting to go downstairs, they jump on me and I makes noises like a run over hedgehog and i drag myself from the pit looking like Beetlejuice. I had a throbbing in my hand and looked down to see a huge burn from the spillage last night, how come it did not hurt then???

Downstairs we go, kids going 2 steps at a time and me holding on the the handrail for dear life and wondering how the F*** I am going to get thru the day. First thing that greets me is a pool of congealed grease on the floor that I spilled from the turkey the night before and there on the counter, in all it's glory is a hacked, massacred turkey that looks SO violated that even the eldest asked......”OMG, what happened to the turkey? Did Santa do that?”

The kids run in and see their toys! Whoops of delight and excited gasps....then the eldest said “DO NOT leave beer for Santa next year” “ My garage is all wobbly and the stickers are all going the wrong way!” I looked and the stickers were really fecked, arseways they were, luckily they were reusable and we could fix them there and then and slot the pieces in properly. But for me the damage was done

I don't really know how I got through that day but I do know I poured a drink about 5pm so I would feel human again and I remember the feeling of unease I felt about the whole thing.I put it to the back of my mind and let myself believe that every household was the same, it was Christmas and that's part and parcel of it.

When I look back now I cringe, when I see my pained pale face on the Camcorder that morning I feel a little bit sick. When I think of the Christmases I just pulled through instead of enjoying, I feel sad.

I know so many of you are DREADING a sober Christmas, I know those Budweiser horses are running merrily on their way on the TV, I know that others will be drinking around you, I know it seems like such a HUGE feat. I felt exactly the same. When I stopped drinking and Christmas approached, I felt no joy at it, no looking forward to it, because I was going to be sober, I felt like there was something missing and every time I felt myself thinking of a nice Christmas, I got a pang of regret because I would not be partaking in the festivities.

Except it did....I laughed and joked, I celebrated, I cooked and ate, I enjoyed my children's excitement with delight instead of endurance, I woke each morning over the season, sober, triumphant and clear headed. I realised how STRONG I was, I commended myself on getting through such a festive time without my crutch. I reveled in what I remembered and how much more I took notice of, I shuddered when I saw myself in the drunkenness of others and most of all I felt SO grateful that the spell had been broken for me...the magic of booze was gone and the realisation that drink DOES NOT make everything bigger and better and louder and more wonderful, it only seems that way especially when you have a glass in your hand.

A sober Christmas IS doable and it IS worth it. You WILL get through it and although it will seem strange at first, it will just be a “different” kind of Christmas and not a CRAP one....

Let this Christmas be the best Christmas ever and one you remember forever.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 06-12-2011 1:22pm

Creative writing forum ---->

Sunnyisland · 06-12-2011 1:26pm

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Creative writing forum ---->

Non drinkers forum here.;)

Amtmann · 06-12-2011 1:39pm

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Creative writing forum ---->

No back-seat modding, please.

horsemeat · 07-12-2011 2:51am

Great post.

I lol'd

And to that sour cunt IkkyPoo, get out of here you grinch!! :P

tenchi-fan · 07-12-2011 7:01pm

Should probably point out, not everyone who has a drink over Christmas gets absolutely ****faced.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 07-12-2011 11:40pm

Tremelo wrote: »

No back-seat modding, please.

Apoligies! genuinely thought it was in AH....

yenoah · 11-12-2011 12:36am

Seems like a real typical AA tale, real strong morale right there. My own personal experience of AA was - who could tell the best story, who could tell the most woeful tale. Like kids in the school yard comparing scars.

I actually found myself starting to reverse engineer the psychology that was going on around me in those rooms. Now I just do it alone. Too many dynosaurs. Thanks for posting all the same, it made me smile.

and remember kids....this too shall pass:rolleyes:

tenchi-fan · 11-12-2011 3:37am

yenoah wrote: »

Seems like a real typical AA tale, real strong morale right there. My own personal experience of AA was - who could tell the best story, who could tell the most woeful tale. Like kids in the school yard comparing scars.

Agreed. Unless you've hit rock bottom and find it hard to not stay there, you won't relate to these posts.

Sunnyisland · 11-12-2011 9:04am

tenchi-fan wrote: »

Agreed. Unless you've hit rock bottom and find it hard to not stay there, you won't relate to these posts.

So in your opinion you have to hit rock bottom to relate to that post, Dont think so, But that justs my opinion.

Cicero · 11-12-2011 9:30am

tenchi-fan wrote: »

Agreed. Unless you've hit rock bottom and find it hard to not stay there, you won't relate to these posts.

I'm just passing through here...I enjoy a drink but I don't tend to over do it..especially on Christmas day...I think all the food turns me off alcohol...:p.but I thought that story was a very good one...like..."hey all..don't mess up Christmas by over doing it on the booze"...there's others to think of that are depending on you for their enjoyment..
Well done OP:)

11-12-2011 8:42pm

I'm not a non-drinker, but Christmas is the one day of the year I refuse to drink (I don't drink every other day obviously, it's just Christmas is the only day that on principle I refuse to have even a sip).

It's a special day and with all the parties and happiness, it's just far too easy to have too many, so I don't have any. It's never affected the day when I don't drink and it's made it all the more special to be able to chat on into the night and still remember it the next morning.

finnigan · 12-12-2011 11:28am

realies wrote: »

So in your opinion you have to hit rock bottom to relate to that post, Dont think so, But that justs my opinion.

maybe you dont have to hit rock bottom but a post like this will have more of an impact on someone who was or is there already.
it can be very hard for a non-drinker to understand what its like to be a cant-drinker and sometimes even the cant-drinkers cant see it either and takes a post like the OP to bring it home.
cheers realies
i always enjoy reading your posts

mazcon · 15-12-2011 9:01pm

Great post! My husband is looking forward to his 4th sober Christmas and the difference in how we all look forward to Christmas these days is amazing. He has a lot of regrets for missing out on the kid's excitement as they grew up...I spent many a lonely Christmas eve putting out the toys by myself while he snored his head off upstairs. I'm just happy that he got to fully enjoy being Santy before they had all passed that stage. This is probably our last year of Santy so I'm going to make the most of it too

mattjack · 15-12-2011 9:06pm

mazcon wrote: »

Great post! My husband is looking forward to his 4th sober Christmas and the difference in how we all look forward to Christmas these days is amazing. He has a lot of regrets for missing out on the kid's excitement as they grew up...I spent many a lonely Christmas eve putting out the toys by myself while he snored his head off upstairs. I'm just happy that he got to fully enjoy being Santy before they had all passed that stage. This is probably our last year of Santy so I'm going to make the most of it too

thats a nice post

horsemeat · 15-12-2011 11:11pm

I think most peoples need for alcoholic and to get sozzled on christmas eve,day and stevens day is a bit sad really.

it's the one time of the year when you should be happy and thanful to be aorund your friends and family, and you don't need booze to enjoy the company of your loved ones.

CDfm · 18-12-2011 4:30pm

For some people drink is part of the celebration and fun.

The rest of us have are happy with a better sex life.

openarmsbob · 22-12-2011 6:35pm

mattjack wrote: »

thats a nice post

A day at a a time, sobriety is progressive, it grows and morphs and evolves, so while the children today may outgrow the idea of a sober Dad as Santa, their children will have their chance to witness hubby as Sober Santa too!

It may only be his 4th sober holiday, but I'm at my 28th, so I have been through this cycle and can't wait for what is next in the line of progressive sobriety. Oh what fun we can have!

kjl · 24-12-2011 11:03am

nice story and all mate, but I really thought this forum was non drinkers to discus not drinking, not recount on drunken nights.

Sunnyisland · 24-12-2011 11:57am

kjl wrote: »

nice story and all mate, but I really thought this forum was non drinkers to discus not drinking, not recount on drunken nights.

Well if the mods here dont have a problem with it why should you ?

and talking about non drinkers, dont see many of your posts talking about it here.

Sunnyisland · 24-12-2011 1:09pm

Another thought here, It seems some people just come here to complain about other peoples posts and yet never seem to post here at all,Where are all the non drinkers posts ? The meetup never happened,no one interested or could not make it,But hardly any response to it, Suppose some people have a lot more time to complain than give anything else.

tfitzgerald · 24-12-2011 1:18pm

I'm a drinker but I abstain over Christmas so I can enjoy my small girls . Got sh1t faced a few days before one of my girls holy communion and I was sick for her whole day . So I decided there and then to leave it for now

Westwood · 26-12-2011 1:20pm

realies wrote: »

Another thought here, It seems some people just come here to complain about other peoples posts and yet never seem to post here at all,Where are all the non drinkers posts ? The meetup never happened,no one interested or could not make it,But hardly any response to it, Suppose some people have a lot more time to complain than give anything else.

Seems not drinking is harder sometimes than drinking.

emmabrighton · 26-12-2011 1:37pm

realies wrote: »

OMG, what happened to the turkey? Did Santa do that?”

...

“DO NOT leave beer for Santa next year”

Thank you so much for making me laugh out loud for the first time in a week! I stayed away from the Christmas celebrations this year because I didn't want to feel like I had leprosy by everyone in my family. Being judged, because I was choosing not to drink. My mother sneaking one because she didn't want me to crave for one. Ugh! As if???? I'd rather cut out my own tongue than go through another guilt ridden hangover. EVER AGAIN! But I was feeling sorry for myself because no one rang me because they thought I was a b*tch for not attending the parties.

So, thanks again for making me laugh til I cried instead of just crying

Happy new year!;)

CDfm · 26-12-2011 1:40pm

Westwood wrote: »

Seems not drinking is harder sometimes than drinking.

Tell me about it.

Had to pick up the Xmas booze cos I am ruthless for bargains.

The flying mouse · 21-12-2016 9:16am

Thought I bump this up for the weeks that's in it, interesting opinions wrote after it.

mazcon · 21-12-2016 10:06am

Someone asked me recently if I'm worried my husband will drink at Christmas. I can honestly say it doesn't enter my mind now. This is his (I think) 9th sober Christmas and the greatest gift we could have asked for. Our girls are young women now and have good memories of Christmas thanks to his sobriety. It's a difficult time for a lot of people so my best wishes for a peaceful one for you all and for everyone who is struggling, there are better days ahead. I wouldn't have believed that was possible but if things could change for us they can change for anyone.