Drinking Poison and Expecting the Other Person to Die

I've been thinking about the relationship I have with tomorrows holiday.  Over the years that relationship has fluctuate  between love and hate.  In the years before sobriety, I never knew which form the relationship was going to take as St Nickolaus approached with his Ho Ho Ho.  Some years spending time with people I felt obligated to and pretending to be grateful was an excuse to grab for the bottle. After using the excuse I became even more ungrateful and stressed out, always wanting to leave the Christmas gathering as soon as I had arrived.
Things change in sobriety and the  Christmas holiday is sure one of those changes.  The holiday is a lot less stressful and fun.  I am actually able to enjoy myself, appreciate family and  friends, even the ones who used to drive me nuts.  All those resentments I used to be filled with are long gone giving me a whole new perspective on the Christmas holiday.  The old saying "holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die" is all too easy to become addicted to.  Resentments  can sometimes be harder to overcome than the largest bottle.  With both addictions centered in the mind it was always easy to talk myself into justifying both of them.
This year especially given all that has been going on in the world, the economy and our personal lives, lets all challenge ourselves to make Christmas more than just a day we try to get through.  Let the day be a day of reflection, connection and celebration for all of us.