The trouble with holidays..
The Oxford dictionary defines a holiday as "an extended period of leisure and recreation". For some holidays really are a time to relax and re-charge the batteries, spend time with friends and family. Plans start weeks maybe months ahead - who will be there? What shall we do? What shall we eat?! The anticipation is half the enjoyment. For others, holidays are a real trial, something to get through without too much damage. Family gatherings can be fraught with expectation, haunted by memories of an unhappy upbringing. Party talk reminds us of how lonely or lost we feel while everyone around us seems so happy. Suddenly our lives seem dull, work unrewarding, the future uncertain. Feelings we can find a place for while we have the distraction of work, school or day to day living threaten to break through messily when free time looms. Relationships come under strain as we struggle to contain our mixed up feelings. Some of us plan to be busy and active to mak