What's your worst Christmas Memory?

[Modem Butterfly]

When I was in high school, my best friend's dad died of cancer. She wasn't living with him at the time, but nevertheless was devastated (we were fifteen, sixteen years old at the time). His funeral was a couple of days before Xmas and his wife (my friend's step mom) decided to go with a Xmas theme. We walked into the Nazarene church to the tune of "Silent Night" (!). The chapel was decorated for the holiday, but the Nazarenes had thoughtfully changed the red ribbons to black (no shit). They left up the big-ass Xmas tree though. The minister announced that Floyd's favorite Xmas carol was "The Little Drummer Boy" and then proceeded to ask everyone to stand up and sing it. They thoughtfully printed the words on the back of the program, the front of which was decorated with a Xmas wreath and a group of mournful little angles- it looked like the Precious Memories Kids had been sold at auction for scientific experiements. Needless to say, we were all a little lacking in Xmas cheer. No dogs singing "Jingle Bells" at least, but it couldn't have gotten much tackier. Ever since, I've hated that fucking Drummer Boy song.

[demnan]

1. 1966 and 1967

December 16, 1966 my brother got his draft letter from Uncle Sam. The following Christmas he spent in Vietnam.

There was no "Summer of Love" for him, I can tell you that.

Why did they have the audacity to send a draft letter that close to Christmas I'll never know. But just yesterday they gave the deployment orders for a whole bunch of "victims" and I was in a horrible mood about it all day long.

[Coventina]

2. Yikes! What a horribly sad story!

I can't tell mine, because it pretty much pales in comparison.

[Modem Butterfly]

3. No, please, share!

[Coventina]

6. Well, when my mother was terminally ill

I remember on Christmas day I was driving from one relative's house to another and I was listening to "Away in a Manger" on the radio.
When it came to the line "Bless all the dear children in thy tender care" I suddenly burst into tears.
Thankfully there is not much traffic on Christmas day.

[Modem Butterfly]

9. You know, I'm an atheist..

...but the last line of "I'll be Home for Christmas", that says "If only in my dreams" gets me every time I hear it.

:hug:

[Valerie5555]

23. I also lost it at that third verse of "Away In A Manger" back in 1980 for

I could remember seeing on the (American news I think it was) a now former hostage in Tehran singing that very verse when they were then celebrating their SECOND darned Christmas in "the Ayatollah's parlor."



I could say that Christmas I was still "reeling" from events I had become aware of such as the slayings of the American missionaries in El Salvador, the killing or "assasination" of John Lennon (who was born in the same year as my dad or 1940 and his son, Sean was born the same year as my younger brother or 1975 by the way) not to mention the, dare I say it ongoing Iran hostage drama.

[Cuban_Liberal]

4. When I was 11.

My aunt had an inoperable brain tumor, and died on Dec. 21st. My uncle actually 'rushed' the funeral, so my cousins wouldn't have to remember that they buried their mother on Christmas Eve.

:cry:

[Modem Butterfly]

5. I wish my friend's step-mom would have done something like that

My friend wasn't too close to her dad, who left when she was barely out of diapers and was something of a dead-beat dad. But the xmas funeral really bit the big one.

[Cuban_Liberal]

11. My uncle's a good guy.

He was 'Mr. Mom', and did a darn fine job of it.

:)

[AlCzervik]

7. The 1st Christmas after my mom died

We had a tree and i opened up the box of ornaments and the frist one i took out was one that my mom had made in her ceramics class, i think i spent the rest of the week crying.

[ernstbass]

8. My house burned to the ground

on Dec 23 1985 - it was a devestating Christmas

[Modem Butterfly]

10. Oh that's terrible!

Did you have a place to go? How does someone even begin to recover from something like that? You must be a very strong person!

[abbadon]

12. My uncle's dad died on Christmas Eve

The family had gone to look at the lights around town, and when they got home, they found his dad - he had planned to surprise them by extra-decorating the tree, but had a heart attack - on the ladder, no less ...

Every year I always felt so sorry for my uncle to have to live with that, when most everyone else was too busy spouting cheer and glib happiness to notice ... now that my uncle is gone, too, I feel a bit of sadness every year for him and his dad

Then, there was last year - I had the flu and then a really bad sinus infection from Thanksgiving thru New Year's - no taste, no smell, bad hearing, and general crappiness; almost like watching from inside a bubble, which was worse than it not happening at all

[Sequoia]

13. My dad died on Dec 11 in '84

and had called me around Thanksgiving saying he loved me and was I coming home. I said no. I didn't say I love you too. He died at work. I'm a scmuck. Now I'm sad all over again. Kids, treat your parents well.

[NightTrain]

14. When I was ten years old and my father had been out of work for a year.

One night about a week before Christmas, he came home drunk, looked at the Christmas tree, and emitted a scream of anger and despair. He kicked the tree to the floor and stomped the ornaments into dust while screaming a profanity-laden tirade about his having to go on welfare--the working man's ultimate shame, don't you know.

He did this in front of both me and my mother, who looked on sobbing. I didn't cry, though. God forbid I should exhibit non-macho behavior in front of a working-class drunk, particularly when that drunk was the man who was responsible for my very existence.

To this very day, I refuse to either touch alcohol or to attend venues where people are getting drunk. If they can't have a good time without booze, then fuck 'em.

[Red State Rebel]

15. 1978 - My mom was dying.

In August, she had been given 6 months - colon cancer had already spread to the liver before they found it. She was 46. I remember after opening presents everyone saying thank you to her and she said "I just hope I'm here to do it next year" - we knew she wouldn't see Valentines day. She died Feb. 1st 1979.

[LoZoccolo]

16. My mom kept asking questions about my dad and/or stepmother.

This was at my grandparents' house with everyone over for Christmas. I really can't remember what it was all about, but I told her that it wasn't my job to spy on them for her. She kept going on about how it was no big deal. I feel that I should be able to decline any questions about them, even if I talk about them myself. It escalated and I eventually challenged her, asking her if I could call up my dad and tell him all the things she was saying about him. She called my bluff and said yes so I did. Later she said that was stupid. I was really pissed off at this point because I felt - and still feel - that their divorce should not impinge on my life at all. She made this big scene when I was coming back up from the basement, like "what are you so upset about" all sarcastic-like. This was in front of a bunch of my relatives. I was firm with her but almost started crying as I said if she wanted to talk about it it would have to be in private and not in front of everyone. Then I went to another room and started crying. My grandmother came in and hugged me and basically just listened as I cried and went on about how this is the worst part of the year for me. My mom came in to "apologize", but didn't really as she acted snotty and annoyed and when pressed to explain what she was sorry for she'd turn it back on me, like "I'm sorry I didn't realize you'd make a big deal out of this" or something. She did this twice. I basically didn't make it out of the room until people were leaving, and had to hear her act all annoyed and snotty in the next room about how I was making a big deal out of this like "oh come on" talking about me behind my back to everyone else. It was really awkward coming out of the room to say goodbye to my uncle and his girlfriend later, even though I take it they were on my side. I'm not good at showing weakness (if you've ever seen me you'd know - I'm this big thuggish-looking Sicilian guy - heck, just look at my threads) so it was embarassing. It was getting to be the next year before she apologized and even then it was in the context of "if I apologize then I never want to hear you bring this up again". At some point after that I'd decided that I give her way too much credit in the emotional stability and/or niceness department.

The next year I basically said I need a low-stress Christmas or else I wouldn't come.

[City Lights]

17. 1997.

My mom died earlier in the month. She died a couple of days before my dad's birthday, and he asked us if we minded pushing her wake back one day so he didn't have to bury her on his birthday. That meant the wake was on his birthday and her funeral the day after. It was the saddest, emptiest Christmas ever. Unfortunately, a chunk of Christmas magic died with her, and Christmas has never been the same for me.

[n2mark]

18. Maybe I should not share this

but I will because this is something I have never forgotten. The year my father got so drunk at our family Christmas party, relatives took away his keys, he walked home for miles, called and told my mother he was going to kill her. I called my uncle to come and help us. (I was probably 10 or 11 at the time). I remember hitting him and telling him I hated him. This shocked him into sobriety. I was one of four children, only kid living at home at the time. I think that was the worst day in my life and a day I'll never forget. I can still remember the fear.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. I almost called the police on my father one Xmas...

When I told him I was dialing 911, he stopped choking my mother.
He ultimately went into therapy and changed his behavior.

There were many times when I was a child that I'd hide under the covers of my bed and cry while he was lost in rage against my mother.

I'm sorry you suffered like that... :hug:

[n2mark]

21. My father never went for therapy

he would never admit he did wrong. The next day was just another so called normal day. There was no 911 in my day. Yes, I remember the many nights I spent under the covers. It was so scarry. I understand what you went through.

[LiberalinNC]

19. 12-26-03

Last year the day after Christmas, my 5 year old neigbor died of brain cancer. He fought like a tooper for 18 months, but in the end the cancer just destroyed his brain and his little body! I'll never forget little Nicholas!

[Lady Effingbroke]

22. My grandmother died three days before Christmas last year, and while not

entirely unexpected (she had been sick with cancer for a couple of years), it definitely made for a sad and quiet holiday season.

[CatBoreal]

24. My birthday is Dec. 24th....

And the year of my 17th birthday we were supposed to drive up from my parents house in Southern Ontario to visit family in Sudbury. This would be about a 4 hour drive.

At the time, my father was having an affair.

We were supposed to leave at noon for the drive, but dad wasn't home. So we waited, and waited, and waited. He finally strolls in, smelling like a French whore and drunk as a skunk.

My mom, sister and I bundle him into the car, and I, the 5 day liscencee, take the wheel.

I drove for four hours through the blinding snow, listening to my father tell me I had no sense of humour, I should lighten up, and go fuck myself because I was so mad I wasn't talking to him.

Between the snow and the tears, I'm surprised we made it in one piece. All this on my birthday no less.

[Valerie5555]

25. Probably the Christmases of 1987 and 1999 had I known they would be the

last ever for my cats Ginger and Midnight, for Ginger would go on to die of an unrecognized case of feline hyperthyroid syndrome / secondary chronic renal failure in October 1988, and Midnight would go on to have to be put down or euthanized due to primary chronic renal failure in September 2000.

The cats were at least at the ripe old ages of 17 and 15 when they crossed the Rainbow Bridge and I remember how I found Ginger's death harder to take, go figure.




Another bad memory was in 2001 when I was in Mexico and was still trying to come to terms with that "terrorist crapola" that happened in September.

[mvd]

26. I've always..

enjoyed Christmas despite the commercialism. I even enjoy Christmas shopping. Just as long as I remember what Christmas is all about.

However, the Christmas after my grandmother died in 1994 was definitely very hard. I was so close to her. This season is a bit less cheerful because * will likely still be in power (despite very likely fraud - I've heard no good reason why those exit polls were off.) I'm also facing economic insecurity. But this season is by far better than the 1994 season.

[REP]

27. Most Recent: 1997

My very old kitty, Claire, had to be euthanized on Christmas morning.

[WCGreen]

28. Where do I start....

This year isn't s hot.

No money, my mother in law is fading away......

But, as with a lot of the posts, death and or Alcohol seem to always be there.....

My mother died in July but we had gone to FLa to see her that christmas. We stayed a while longer than the other kids and spent some time with her...

We were driving home on New Years Eve, FLA to Ohio, when the fake vynal top of our regal just flapped up. We were in S. Carolina and had to stop at a truck stop. We ducked taped the thing back on....

We made it into N Carolina and actually rang in the New Year in a Wal Mart parking lot after stopping for some chees and crackers...

when I was a kid, my dad put together my new bike while half in the bag. The bike never worked, they yelled, they screamed, someone was crying........

[Piperay]

29. Christmas 1997 my mother had terminal cancer

we all knew it would be her last but acted like it was any other Christmas, she died two days later ... every Christmas has been difficult since then. :-(

[Bzzzz]

30. Last Year

My father-in-law (Pop) passed away Christmas Day last year after a long hard battle with cancer. It was awful. Pop's brother died one month earlier (Thanksgiving Day). The family has been really dreading this Christmas. To top it off it's my Mother's birthday (Christmas Day).