Hey! So I’m going to let you in on a secret. I used to hate Christmas. Shocking, I know.

When I was a kid, I loved Christmas, I remember the year I got a bucket of Torro (a precursor to Lego) and I played with that stuff, like forever! It was awesome, and about one of the few Christmases I remember as a kid.

When I married for the first time, his parents, particularly his stepmother, was a nightmare. She didn’t like my Dad, so she didn’t like me. And no matter what I did, I couldn’t make it better. So I didn’t.

When I married for the second time, my Second Ex had two and a half children (2 boys and a foster son). The first Christmas together was pretty epic. I made a heap of toy boxes up with toys from the $2 shops because neither of us had any money. But after that, the Christmas’ got harder and harder. I would make a Christmas dinner, but they wouldn’t eat it. I’d make dessert, but they wouldn’t eat it. They didn’t like the presents I got them, because their mother, that they lived with, got them big presents and spoiled them. And every time I complained to my ex, he’d defended his kids, which is natural, but instead of telling them to be gracious, he told me to act like an adult.

So I did, and I stopped doing Christmas. I got them basic gifts – mostly toiletries, and then sat back and let everyone else sort it out. All I wanted to do was head for the hills and just camp out for a week or two, then come back once everything was sorted.

Unfortunately, mixed up in that, was my own son. It was a real struggle to make Christmas exciting for him when I hated it. I hated the run up to Christmas, the idea of having to give gifts that were unappreciated, and then listening to everyone (except my son) complain about how ungiving and uncaring I was.

It took a while, after I left my ex, to get the Christmas spirit back, but the last two years, I have been getting into the spirit of things again. I’ve been making presents for my family, because I just love to give. I’ve already got most of the presents I’m getting for everyone, because I like to be super organised and no where near the shops closer to Christmas!

There is one thing I still don’t like about Christmas, commercialism. Everything is the best deal you will ever get it, (unlike two weeks ago, at Black Friday, when it was exactly the same price…). That’s why I make a lot of my gifts. To make it more special, and personalised.

So, Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you’re starting to enjoy the festive season too.