My mom's birthday was Dec. 21. She passed away, very suddenly and totally unexpectedly, in April 2004. Ever since she passed away I get blue from mid-November until January 1, and the week leading up to Dec. 21 I get very depressed. So much of the holidays are tied up with memories, and so many of my memories are of things she and I did together, whether it was cooking, or baking or shopping or even doing the dishes after the meals.
When I say I do things that hurt myself, I mean I eat badly, drink WAY too much, stop exercising. In years past I started smoking again (this year I think I'll try to avoid that one), and I've been getting godawful hangovers so I'm going to cut back on the booze.