(Not) Driving Home for Christmas
Remembering Christmas 2018
I’m very likely to spend Christmas’ Eve and Christmas’ Day alone this year.
I told my parents that I would not go back to France for Christmas a few weeks ago and my flatmates had plans to be away so I was prepared for this.
It’s actually not the first Christmas I’ll spend alone. The first time was 2 years ago. I was in a new job and wasn’t sure about the number of days I could get off. In addition to that, the flight between Dublin and Nantes were ‘slightly’ expensive (the joy of the law of supply and demand) and it was just too much.
Another thing to have in mind is that I’ve always had a difficult relationship with Christmas. I used to hate it. It was too painful. I always felt very lonely and a bit jealous of other people’s Christmas where all the family was actually happy to spend time together.
For me, there was no magic; it was just something to be done at the end of each year (I feel sorry for the people who love Christmas and who are reading this). Now, I would say that there are days where I feel a bit festive, seeing everyone happy, and others where I just want it to be over.
In 2018, I decided that I would spend a better Christmas at home, in Dublin, rather than at home, in France. I was also curious about…
