I don't know if anyone else experiences this but every year we go through a rolling drama with my husband's family that we affectionately call "the Christmas Guilts".

It begins with the gifts, we decided to approach the family a few years ago about how expensive the gift giving had become and asked if we could draw names. Of course they threw a fit, made us feel the Scrooge and insisted their teenage children should get gifts from the entire family. They said we could draw names as adults with a $100 limit, please! The lists are made and sent to us (we do not have children), long story short it continues to be an issue.

The Christmas visits. We prefer to visit the family in the summer, we spend a week with each side (they live in close proximity). It works for mine, his never. The guilt about not being "a family" began yesterday in earnest.

I actually like Christmas, I love the colors, the music, the smells, the happy faces. I HATE the commercialization of it, and the forced family stuff. Families who are not close are expected to become the Waltons for a week every year....never works well.

Thanks for letting me vent !

In the past year we have lost three dogs. All three were 14 years or older, all three were put down in the final stages of their illnesses.

With Henry he could not longer walk from severe back arthritis, he quit eating and we felt the most humane thing was to put him down. With Daisy, she went into complete renal failure right at Christmas last year and the vet told us nothing could be done. We made the decision to euthanize her.

With the third one, Jasmine, Daisy's sister (we rescued them together because they were a bonded pair when we got them at age 2) it was heartbreaking. She had a tumor in her mouth, she had a severe heart murmur that required daily medication and she was going downhill rapidly. The hard part with Jasmine is, she was still eating a bit, not her full meals but some. The tumor was bleeding heavily and the pain medication we gave her was no longer working, she cried when the meds were wearing off. I began to dose her more frequently per the vets wishes.

Her eyes were still bright, when she had the pain meds she would seem very well. I have agonized over the decision we made on Friday to put her down. I have always grieved the loss of my furbabies, and I am glad we have the option of putting them out of their pain. But with this one I find myself thinking I should have waited.....it is very hard for me, had anyone else experienced this? How do you get past it? I loved her so much I would do anything to ease her pain, did I do it too soon?

I am grateful for the unconditional love she gave us for so long. I hope she, Daisy and Henry are romping together at the bridge, no more pain, no more mobility problems. Loved her to pieces.

I know it has been a rough year, but we still have things to be grateful for right? For me it is the ability to come on here and argue politics and issues. As much as we gripe,at least we can without having the storm troopers at our door.

I am going to sceam "Joe Scarface and Mika I am woman hear me cry are more to the right than
Fox"! They are AWFUL!!!!!

I am thinking about getting it but am curious what DUers think about it. I enjoyed Game Chane but it was about the Palin mess, an interesting topic for me.

I guess MSNBC is no longer a place for me.

Just curious, my husband and I have pretty much decided to let our families know we are passing on the "who spends the most" game this year. We do not have kids, our nieces and nephews are young adults and we think the Christmas giving has gone crazy.

I love Christmas, the decorations, the music the food but not the commercialism. We are even thinking of not traveling home this year. Wow!

Just wondered if we were alone.

I have been watching this series today. They are now talking about William Jennings Bryan. Could Elizabeth Warren be our Bryan? The similarities between those times and today are staggering.

In the past 5 years or so I have noticed a distinct shift in the level of anger I feel and the level of anger i see in others around me. The tension in my daily life is palpable and it wears on me. Everything, even small things, seem to bring on a level of anxiousness that is silly.

I attribute these changes in the "quality of my life" to seeing friends, family and former students suffer job loss, health issues that have bankrupted them. Watching all of our expenses go up in a slow but steady manner. Groceries for us have gone up about 20 percent and I don't think we eat as well as we used to, i use coupons and watch for sales but it doesn't seem to help. Gas of course, car and home insurance have gone through the roof because we live in Oklahoma where bad weather is a regular thing. Our once healthy savings account is now down to a month of salary after paying for some necessary home repairs and an illness.

My friends who have lost jobs are faring so badly I feel lucky, most are in their late 40's early 50's and cannot find work that pays anythng close to what they were making, some have lost homes and cars and are on food stamps. These were solid middle class people 5 yers ago. No wonder I cannot sleep at night, there by the grace of God go I.

I do NOT blame the President, I Blame the Bush administration, the Republicans, all of them, and the right wing media that feeds them.

Am I angry, yes, do I understand the anger of young people who cannot find a good enough job to pay for the basics, food, housing and clothing absolutely! I have warned before that we are dangerously close to class warfare. The masses will rise upif this continues, frightened people do things that under normal circumtances they would not consider.

My hope is the Democrats win in 2014 and go right to work fixing the things these idiots have done to our precious country and her people. Yes, I still have hope that good will overcome evil, it s the ony way I can get up in the morning.

Thanks for allowing me to vent here, I think it helps me because I normally feel safe here.