The holidays are a magical time of the year. For some people. For others is a desperate slog through dark days filled with a sugar enhanced depression set to a relentless stream of Michael Buble Christmas songs. I don’t think that I have ever bought into the magic the way some of my holiday sweater wearing friends have but there are times when the lights and feeling of jolly make my heart grow three sizes larger.
The story that you are about to read is a Christmas three years ago. I have discovered that starting a story is the hardest part so I will start with a fact: three years ago this week I was in a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt. I will continue this story with the obvious, I was depressed and I would not be the first to try to describe what that is like so I won 't, because this is not a story about depression, it’s a story about Christmas.
The day after I got out of the hospital, my cousin and her teenage daughter Bailey, who were not aware of my hospitalization, visited me along with my sister and niece. I was holding onto my sanity with the most tenuous ties. Bailey, who hadn’t spent much time in the city, treated each sight and sound as if she had entered the hallowed gates of Disney World. I mean seriously, I love where I live, but I had never experienced such excitement over things …show more content…
This city knows how to do the holidays right. There are displays and light shows seemingly in every corner of the downtown. In the neighborhoods, the residents ban together to decorate their street in festive cheer. A German Christmas Market is constructed in the center of town where you can stuff yourself with mulled wine and things that I can’t actually pronounce but all of it delicious. Even though I have experienced it for years, Bailey’s glee was infectious. It reminded me that shared experiences bring the most
The story that you are about to read is a Christmas three years ago. I have discovered that starting a story is the hardest part so I will start with a fact: three years ago this week I was in a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt. I will continue this story with the obvious, I was depressed and I would not be the first to try to describe what that is like so I won 't, because this is not a story about depression, it’s a story about Christmas.
The day after I got out of the hospital, my cousin and her teenage daughter Bailey, who were not aware of my hospitalization, visited me along with my sister and niece. I was holding onto my sanity with the most tenuous ties. Bailey, who hadn’t spent much time in the city, treated each sight and sound as if she had entered the hallowed gates of Disney World. I mean seriously, I love where I live, but I had never experienced such excitement over things …show more content…
This city knows how to do the holidays right. There are displays and light shows seemingly in every corner of the downtown. In the neighborhoods, the residents ban together to decorate their street in festive cheer. A German Christmas Market is constructed in the center of town where you can stuff yourself with mulled wine and things that I can’t actually pronounce but all of it delicious. Even though I have experienced it for years, Bailey’s glee was infectious. It reminded me that shared experiences bring the most