Holiday Drama, Trauma and Joy

Today, our last Free-for-All of the year, let's get into the holiday spirit by sharing our favorite holiday "balance" tales. The time your boss made you work Christmas Day. The year you gave yourself the present of quitting a hated job. The New Year's Eve spent finishing your application to law school. Whatever happened yesterday or your dreaded obligations for next week.

I once had to go to Mexico to work a trade show on Thanksgiving. The trip turned out to be really fun, although my relatives back home in turkey town thought "working on Thanksgiving" constituted some kind of sacrilege. It is easy to forget that Thanksgiving is an American holiday.

My worst Christmas, without a doubt, was the year my first husband and I split up. The break occurred a few days before December 25, and naturally we canceled our holiday plans together. I had no place to go, and frankly, no desire to celebrate. I holed up in my father's empty house (he was traveling with his new love). I pretended it wasn't Christmas, and promised myself the next year would be far, far better. The following day I called all my relatives and friends to tell them the marriage had imploded. So Christmas, although not joyous that year, was oddly meaningful -- the marriage was dead, but the day marked a rebirth for me.

What are your best or worst holiday stories?

Please note: On Balance is taking a timeout. This will be the last new On Balance until Wednesday, January 2 (thanks, Chitty!). However, the comments can roll in throughout the week as new holiday tales of drama, trauma and joy occur. See you in 2008!

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  December 21, 2007; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Free-for-All
Previous: Working Women Are Happy (And So Are Their Husbands) | Next: New Year's Resolutions

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