Crazy Christmas Memories Thread
Monday, December 22, 2008 by k10w3 | Discussion: Community
I just got a package in the mail from my oldest son, who is in the military and not allowed to take Christmas vacation, even though most of the rest of his troop does, and he included a quick note with the wrapped gifts he got his mother and siblings. The note ended with "I ruined Christmas. I hope I'm satisfied!" LMAO! I forgot that almost every Christmas we celebrated when he was a small boy ended with my (now ex) husband getting angry and saying to one of the three kids, "You ruined Christmas, I hope you're satisfied!" (This was not that odd of a thing for me to witness, since as I've stated before, in the family I grew up in, where half of us are soft bipolar and the other half have generalized anxiety disorder, we have a saying: It's not Christmas until somebody cries. This thought tripped off yet ANOTHER crazy Christmas memory from the past, the fact that my ex-husband's father, (I miss him...he was not only my father-in-law but also my supervisor at a job I had in my late teens), because he had no family living nearby and pretty much ended up only celebrating Christmas by having a cocktail with the lady next door, used to wrap up a bunch of his canned goods and pantry items to make it look like there was a truck-load full of presents under his tree. After all the real gifts were open, we were left with the chore of unwrapping the groceries.
So, those are a few of MY crazy Christmas memories. Now tell me some of yours.
Reply #2 Monday, December 22, 2008 7:47 PM
those incredible toys. It was so cool to see them working together builing stuff for.... ME!
Well, they saw me after I made some delighted noises and promptly scolded me for sneaking around like that and saying,
"What is an 18 year old doing crawling around like that?!"
ROFLMAO!!

Reply #3 Monday, December 22, 2008 8:07 PM
I grew up in children's homes, but went home to my Nanna and Dad for Xmas, and I remember waking up and my entire bed was covered with presents, I was bout 7, and one of the presents said "Roulette Wheel", I didn't wtf that was, and apparently, my Nanna didn't either, at first, when she realized she'd given me a gambling gift, she took it back hehe, she was so against gambling, but it was so funny, because I really wanted to keep it!
She did however remember NOT to give me any dolls, I was a full-on tomboy, and gave me rubber spiders & a trainset as requested instead
PS.. Love and miss you Nanny, and Dad
*Wonders if this is why I have blown so much on the pokies
Reply #4 Monday, December 22, 2008 9:11 PM
When I read that I really was so sad, Karen. I had it so good...Protestant Dad and Jewish Mom....I feel so unhappy you had it so bad that I had to try to make a funny....sorry. My Jewish reflexes.
I don't have anything different to compare my dysfunctional holiday experiences to, Seth, so it doesn't make ME sad--it's actually kind of nostalgic. A "normal" family holiday season would seem boring to me. And actually this Christmas is much better than last when I had to worry about Levi being over in Iraq. This year I know at least he's safe, and he'll be spending the holidays with his fiance, and possibly his future in-laws, and that's a good thing. Who knows? In a couple years I might be having to get Christmas presents for my first grandchild? That would be sort of cool.
Reply #5 Monday, December 22, 2008 9:20 PM
That would be WAY cool.
I just think you deserved better than that, hon.
Reply #6 Monday, December 22, 2008 9:46 PM
I'm glad he's safe this Xmas Karen, and I hope he comes back home soon my friend
Reply #7 Monday, December 22, 2008 11:05 PM
I'm trying to adjust to the fact that he's not coming home, because he's getting married in May, and his fiancee has a job and a house in the town next to the base he's stationed at, so when he joined the Army, he morphed into a man and is going on with his life. I THOUGHT he'd be coming home when he enlisted, and we'd all be a family again, but kids don't stay kids forever. I'm happy for him, but I'm a little sad for myself, too. He's not making it any easier on me, either. Before he was deployed overseas, he was kind of a jerk--(the Army doctors eventually diagnosed him as having Asperger syndrome when he was over there), but I don't know if it was the fact that despite the fact that he would be crabby and short with me, I kept sending him care packages or what, but since coming home, if he calls me on the phone, he tells me he loves me before he hangs up, and says sweet things that he never used to say...it's making it really hard to let go.
Reply #8 Monday, December 22, 2008 11:15 PM
You don't have to let go, you're a Mom
I know that would be hard, my son is almost 17, and hasn't been coming home until midnight every night [he's seeing the hussy across the street!] and just a few weeks ago he did what he was told, he wouldn't dream of not coming home when he was meant to, now it's like I don't even know him, and we were best buddies before that, now he's a compulsive liar, and I don't know why, I guess that's the effect his a-hole stepfather had on him.
He's left me without thing's I need, like Diabetes medication, because I can't go out to get it, and he doesn't seem to give a rats about it.
Karen, you could vsit each other when you can, I know it's not the same as having him home, but it's contact, and you never want to lose that
Reply #9 Monday, December 22, 2008 11:31 PM
Yeah, I do, because he's getting married, and I don't want to be that clingy, overly-emotional thing my mother-in-law turns into when she sees my husband, because I know how uncomfortable it makes my husband, and I don't want to do that to my son.
Reply #10 Monday, December 22, 2008 11:36 PM
Hey, that does not make you clingy, I love my son and will never let go, but I can do that without smothering him, and you can too, just because he's getting married won't mean he won't want you in his life, just be different than your mother in law was, it's not a crime to want to hang on to something you gave life to, without, as I said, smothering that person, but it can be done
Reply #11 Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:10 AM
I'm so sorry to hear such painful memories of what should be a time of only pleasant thoughts. Just bear in mind that you have more hugs than you can probably stand from your friends at WC.
Reply #12 Tuesday, December 23, 2008 1:26 PM
My parents had always taken in other children in need when I was a child. And because I was their second child and the transitory kids needed so much attenttion I felt somewhat lost.
One Christmas though . . they woke me up right after Santa had come. Apparently Santa had awoken them (and left them bubbly!). He hadn't wrapped one gift but they assumed it was for me. The game of Mousetrap! So we spent an hour, just the three of us, playing that game.
Thanks for reminding me of that.
Reply #14 Tuesday, December 23, 2008 2:41 PM
Mousetrap, and excellent game, how about Rock'em Sock'em robots?? The Game of Life? My Lionel trains which i still have, lately i reflect back all the good things and times we had, big family 7kids, and my mom and dad still alive and doing very well at 86 and 84, I consider myself at 53 (middle child) very lucky to have my parents still with us.The only downside I have 5 sisters !!!
Reply #15 Tuesday, December 23, 2008 5:45 PM
One Christmas though . . they woke me up right after Santa had come. Apparently Santa had awoken them (and left them bubbly!). He hadn't wrapped one gift but they assumed it was for me. The game of Mousetrap! So we spent an hour, just the three of us, playing that game.
Thanks for reminding me of that.
I loved that game, when I was a kid, I got it just for the plastic mice to play with hehe
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Reply #1 Monday, December 22, 2008 7:37 PM
No crazed memories....the Xmas that sticks out in my moth eaten "mind" is when I asked Santa for a "Knight's Fort" and a "Space Port" and got BOTH!
I also pretended to fall asleep and watched (after crawling down the hall on my belly, pyjama clad) as my parents assembled
those incredible toys. It was so cool to see them working together builing stuff for.... ME!
Well, they saw me after I made some delighted noises and promptly scolded me for sneaking around like that and saying,
"What is an 18 year old doing crawling around like that?!"
"I just got a package in the mail from my oldest son, who is in the military and not allowed to take Christmas vacation, even though most of the rest of his troop does, and he included a quick note with the wrapped gifts he got his mother and siblings. The note ended with "I ruined Christmas. I hope I'm satisfied!" LMAO! I forgot that almost every Christmas we celebrated when he was a small boy ended with my (now ex) husband getting angry and saying to one of the three kids, "You ruined Christmas, I hope you're satisfied!"
When I read that I really was so sad, Karen. I had it so good...Protestant Dad and Jewish Mom....I feel so unhappy you had it so bad that I had to try to make a funny....sorry. My Jewish reflexes.