Holiday Humble

This has been a particularly financially lacking Holiday Season for me.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are some of the most difficult times of the year for me to stay sober.  Lots of parties where friends like to drink, family stress and drama, and the cozy memories of the drunken eggnog and making out in the name of the holiday spirit--with people we hardly know.  But now through recovery, the holidays look quite different.  Family gatherings are less stressful, and I don't have to be a part of the drama.  Friendly parties don't pressure me to drink, because they respect that I don't.  I no longer attend the parties with lots of kissing or "more"...so less danger of breaking my sobriety in that arena.  Now, because of my finances, I have been a little down because I didn't have a lot of gifts to give...but I still feel at peace.  I have been present--psychologically to give the gift of listening and participating in the lives of all the people I care about.  That may be the best gift I can give anyone right now.  I'm grateful that God, my higher power, has blessed me with a new outlook on life that I can share with others for free!