The thing about motion is that it distracts.
Whilst driving he seldom conceptualises his arrival.
Nor does he visualise the downhill trajectory after the initial “great to see you” moments.
And it would be plain heresy to anticipate leaving… at least not until the first morning waking in his old bedroom.
So what looked like a good idea in Manchester now has all the appeal of root-canal work in Bognor as the familiar landmarks loom into view, and he tells himself ‘one day I’ll nostalgically savour these memories’.
Which makes him wonder…
… just how bad can Christmases possibly get?
As I may have said in previous years, I’m not a great fan of Christmas. But once again I set myself the task of writing some uplifting festive schmaltz for the penultimate Friday Fictioneers session of 2021. And once again, as you can see… I failed miserably. Still, happy Christmas to all my fellow Friday Fictioneers, in particular our trusty leader, Rochelle. See you on the other side.
castelsarrasin 
The true spirit of Christmas, Sandra. Or, a true spirit of Christmas anyway, and one we all agree not to talk about. Well done for talking about it
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You can rely on me for giving the elephant an airing, Neil. Thanks for reading and a Merry Christmas (ahem!) to you.
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Attempt to spread festive vibes.
Christmas is about hope and positivity- ‘one day I’ll nostalgically savour these memories’.
As long as we resolutely tell ourselves this, all will be well!
Best wishes to all for creating and storing memories to savour.
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Thanks for reading, Anita.
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Root canal fillings? In my view, it would be better to stay at home and keep warm. Greetings from a chilly Yorkshire
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Thanks for reading Michael, merry christmas!
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Dear Sandra,
Family has a way of making Christmas somewhat less than fun at times. I know we’ve had a few uncomfortable ones along life’s highway. Honest and well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It can be an absorbing exercise in family dynamics. Plenty of fodder for the writer there! And all under one roof. Thanks for reading Rochelle.
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Christmas is one of those things, easily it can be miserable, a chore, and a waste of time. I made the choice to embrace Christmas a handful of years back and put in the effort. But some years, I’d rather skip the holiday…
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I’ve found it helps to be in a different country at Christmas time. And I don’t mean that in any bitchy way. Some of my least fraught Christmases were in South Africa, but then summer would be in full swing at that time. Maybe that’s where it goes wrong for me …
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Ah, the elephant…. Like you, I’m not a great fan of Christmas
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Soon be on the other side of it. 🙂 Have the best time.
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Indeed, I’ll try
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The festive upbeat bit got lost somewhere along the way! Have a good one anyway, Sandra X
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And you too, Liz. x
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How true this is in so many families. Thankfully not in mine.
I think too much pressure is put on to create the perfect holiday. I’m thinking going elsewhere is not a bad idea for some 🙂
And, by the way… mine ain’t too uplifting either!
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Thanks for reading Dale. Yours was just fine, it reminded me that I’m luckier than a lot of people. And that’s not a bad thing to be reminded of.
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Thank you, Sandra. I think most of us are 🙂
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Like Neil said, good description of some families’ toxic holiday gatherings that nobody likes to talk about.
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Thanks for reading, Lisa.
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Great line: “Nor does he visualise the downhill trajectory after the initial “great to see you” moments.” Expectations dashed as families’ gather, unfortunately, are common during this time of year. Not all, but many. Excellent storytelling as always, Sandra!
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It can be stressful. It can be fun. It all depends on your approach, I guess. 🙂
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Great one, Sandra. These days one can text, “Can’t make it this year. Had a COVID exposure and must follow quarantine protocol.” 🙂
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I’ve already used something similar to that once this festive period. Now I feel like karma might be lurking… Thanks for reading.
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🙂
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I have to agree that the best Christmastime is spent at home.
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Thanks for reading, James.
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Hopefully it’s not the worst.
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Thanks for reading Bernadette.
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I try not to expect too much from Christmas, so if something good happens I appreciate it all the more!
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Good way to approach it, Keith.
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we’ll always believe what we want to believe. 🙂
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Never a truer word…
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I’m sorry you don’t like Christmas, but I’m glad you write like you do. Your stories – even this one! – give me a great deal of pleasure, because they’re so well constructed.
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Thank you for your lovely comment, Penny. Have a good one!
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I have to say, Christmas as an expat is a much simpler affair than any of the previous years’ get togethers. We miss the people, of course, but not the dramas.
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Yes, I must say I found Christmas abroad to be a far less testing time. Thanks for reading, Jen. Hope you got home safely.
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I like this a lot more than the schmalz. It’s honest and true. That’s precisely how it often is.
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I think the schmaltz gene may have passed me by at conception. Thanks for reading, have a great Christmas.
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Thank you and you, too.
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The joy of a family Christmas encapsulated in 100 words 😉
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root-canal? even the thought sends a shiver,
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I might actually like the afterward better than the story itself: “failed miserably” has such a fun tinge or irony to it. Definitely not a failure as a story, because the misery is so true. I’m also generally glad when the holidays are – finally – over. But I save that for fiction and comments on fiction that my “loved ones” will probably never read. Probably. If so, I am obviously kidding. Haha.
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Like others here, it was the “downward trajectory” that got me. That and the waking in his old bedroom because he doesn’t belong in that world anymore. So well-written.
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