Holiday Blues in Life After 60

Well, it is finally here. The holiday season has arrived bringing us, ulcers, heart attacks, and genuine depression. But the ones I worry about the most are the children. Those who fail to get anything for Christmas. We have made such a big deal about the gifts. And children don’t understand. It makes me sad. There is nothing more depressing than the holidays for some of us.
While I never experienced never getting a gift, until after my divorce, my Christmases were pretty much ruined Dec 12, 1971. When I was 11 my dad passed at the age of 45. I was heartbroken and I knew Santa nor God would be able to change that. And 9 years ago the day after Thanksgiving my mom suffered a massive stroke. She was 90.
I was married on December 28th, 1979, my son was born December 28th, 1982 and yet at 61 from November-January 1, I hide behind a smile. But it is not all bad. I remember my last Christmas with my dad. With little money, dad and mom made it a great Christmas. But then my dad always made a big deal out of Christmas. Maybe that is what I miss the most. I feel I was cheated out of a few more great Christmases.
So how do you deal with the Holiday Blues? Maybe you don’t have them, but for those that do, the pain is real. And telling someone to just get over it doesn’t work If it were that easy we wouldn’t need Prozac!