Getting my Christmas groove back

Today I took an important step. A big one toward getting my Christmas groove back during my first holiday season as a single girl in a long time. I bought a wreath and decided on the spot in my lil loft apartment to put my tiny tree.

I had always loved the holidays. The music, decorations, shopping and most of all the gift giving, parties and spending time with family and friends. With my birthday halfway between Christmas and New Year, it was one party after another. 

That love dribbled away while I was married. The first couple of years we got into it. We bought a big tree and decorated it together with the ornaments we had acquired together along with the ones I've collected since I was a kid. We traded cool gifts and celebrated with both families. We had fun.

Then he just stopped.

He still wanted the elaborate decorations but wouldn't help. Complaining was all I heard about having to buy me not one, but two gifts. Then he stopped going to the family gatherings. He had a falling out with his aunt and his mom, so that ruled out getting together with his dad's side of the family or his mom and her husband (not that I complained about the latter).

Finally he decided he disliked my family and didn't want to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with them either. One Christmas day he whacked me on the head with a book because I was mad at him for backing out on joining my family for the day. No amount of Advil could cure that headache.

Since staying at home cooking and cleaning up by myself with his Grinch self when my family was celebrating close by wasn't an option, he started spending holidays alone.

Then last year Facebook had to remind him of my birthday. It's been a struggle to have fun over the holidays for years.

But this year will be different.

Love to the single girls,

Addison