Good evening gents.

Many of you, like me, are spending Christmas by ourselves for the first time. It's rough, I'm not going to lie. However I got a bit of a present tonight that was unexpected. I thought I would share it here...if nothing else to maybe lift the spirits of some of my fellow dudes.

My ex called me out of blue this evening. You see, earlier this year I discovered she was having an ongoing 10 month affair. Our divorce was finalized a few weeks ago. The man she was seeing is divorced with three young children. My ex and I had no kids.

Why did my ex call? To see if I wanted to hang out with her tonight on Christmas eve. Why? Well it turns out that her affair partner decided he needed to spend the evening and tomorrow with his ex and his children as a family. Turns out the new girlfriend, my ex, was not invited to the festivities.

When she called she was in tears, and at moments crying hysterically. She kept telling me how sorry she was, and how she can't believe she doesn't have me in her life anymore.

I have dreamt of this moment. After I calmed her, I told her that I was invited to several dinners this evening (true) and that I had already made plans for tonight and tomorrow. Then I launched into a speech that I had prepared mentally for this moment:

"I understand you are sorry....and you should be. But you are not sorry for the right reasons. You are not sorry for what you did...for pissing away 15 years. You are sorry because nobody wants you on Christmas Eve. Your boyfriend knows where his priorities are. None of your friends want you around for Christmas. But don't cry. After your boyfriend is done with his family shit, I'm sure everything will be about you again just like you like it. So save your sorrys...I do not want to hear them. Remember, you chose this."

It was glorious. She began crying again and I ended our call. Her narcissistic manipulation tactics no longer have power over me. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all.

Tomorrow will be a better day. Breakfast with a coworker and his family. Drinks at noon with a cute single girl from the office next door. Dinner at friend's house with his family. Full schedule and all that....

Merry Christmas all of you.

Strength, gentlemen.