What's your favorite special Christmas memory?

[paganfish]

Great thread!

MY most memorable Christmas was when I was 11. We were short on money so there were not to be any presents. My brother and I were a bit bummed but we helped mom decorate the tree and we sat outside looking at the lights blink. Suddenly, this van drove up our drive and it was the nuns from the local church. They pulled this two huge boxes out of the van and brought it into the house. My mom cried and cried. We didn't know what was going on. We just waved at the nuns as they drove off and went inside to see what was the big fuss! The nuns had brought us some presents that some folks had donated and we were on the list. (I don't know and nor does my mom...how WE got on the list.) There was a plastic truck for me and a tractor for my brother. Some gloves (I got Superman while he got Batman) a couple of jackets and other clothes. (We were SO excited we wore those gloves out! LOL!)

The other box had Washington Red apples in it. Now, I don't know why they brought us all that AND apples but there you have it.

So, to this day, when I smell a Washington Red it takes me back to that memorable Christmas...and how my mom cried tears of joy.

It was awesome...and I am, of course, crying now. LOL!

Cheers and thanks for sharing-

Pedro~:-V

 

[Scrambled Egg]

"It was awesome...and I am, of course, crying now. LOL!"


me too Pedro!! what a sweet story!!! thank you for sharing it with us!!

 

[Royicus]

You know, I'm not sure if I really have a fond memory of any particular Christmas. However, if Christmas is near, that means the New Year is also near. For the past 5 years, paying for college and now just starting off on my own, the winter holidays is quite a financial burden, as it is for many of you.

But, I will say this.

The happy feelings of Christmas continue into December 31 where my family, whoever isn't deployed anyway, and everyone's significant other will get together for a night of fun playing games, eating good food, drinking sparkling cider, and just talking. That is something that happens only annually for me, so that is what I value the most during the year. As far as receiving gifts and materials, I could care less. Of course this is now, when I was a little kid, the more presents the better!

Family is the most important thing during the holidays. Everything else is a far second.

Hmm, just as I was about to hit "submit," I remembered something.

I can't remember how old I was; It was sometime when I was in elementary school. We took a trip over to our aunt and uncle's house for Christmas. While we were there, we got a bunch of bunk and junk gifts, which we promptly disposed of later that day. My two sisters and I were unhappy about the gifts, but were generally in good spirits being with each other and our cousins.

Well, we got home after the two day stay and were ready to head upstairs. We passed by the Christmas tree and what do you know, there were tons of presents under that tree! It was totally unexpected, and we had no idea how they managed to get those presents under the tree without us knowing, considering we all left at the same time to celebrate Christmas at a relative's house. To this day, I still don't know how they did that. Maybe I'll ask them this year

Oh yea, and there was that year where I stayed up to see Santa, but instead saw my parents :| They still deny that I saw them to this day

 

[paganfish]

Quote:

 

[Rosalind]

Fave childhood memory requires a bit of background:

My mother can't cook at all. Literally, she can't even boil spaghetti. She mostly eats take-out and in restaurants. After my dad died, if I wanted a home-cooked meal other than instant rice and granola bars, I went to my babysitter's or a friend's house. I must have been the only kid in school who cleaned her plate at the cafeteria, no matter what was on it. When I was 8, my aunt gave me a children's cookbook and a kiddy-size apron and oven mitts for Xmas. It had basic recipes for eggs, muffins, caramel popcorn, veggies, baked chicken, mashed potatoes. For my birthday, three weeks later, my mother's boyfriend gave me a bunch of garden seeds so I could plant some veggies in the spring. I learned to cook for myself cheaply, using veggies from my own garden and cheap food I could buy with my car washing/babysitting money. So, that was an awesome Xmas when Aunt Diane and my mother's boyfriend gave me the tools to fend for myself. Most people, when they see their relatives or friends not raising their kids right, don't want to step in or interfere, but I was pretty darn glad for Diane!

Best adult Xmas memory: DH and I had finally finished unpacking into an apartment with a fireplace. I came home from a long day at work (DH was at university), was dead-tired, and found the pull-out couch pulled out and covered in sheepskins in front of a roaring fire, candlelight, a decorated tree, stockings hanging from the mantel, two glasses of wine on the coffee table. DH was wearing his cute silk pajamas and dangling a lace thing at me.

 

[chicknmania]

I need to share just one more...mainly because the topic of this one is lying beside me begging to share my lunch...we put our old Golden Retriever, Baron, to sleep the day before my husband's birthday in January 1998. We grieved for almost a whole year before we even thought about another dog. That was the year we moved, also, and my son who was ten or eleven at the time had an awful time...he missed Baron, was homesick, was adjusting to a new school, etc. That Christmas he put on his Christmas list "a puppy for all of us"...and I caught him sobbing over Baron's picture around that time. Well, that made up my mind...my oldest daughter and I went to the local animal shelter that Christmas eve to pick out a puppy. There were lots to choose from, but this one shepherd/rott/chow mutt...I picked her up and she put her paws around my neck and would not let go! She was so sad and quiet. There was a three day hold on her as she had just come into the shelter, and we didn't want to take her home before Christmas, anyway. Christmas day and the day after I couldn't think about anything but that puppy. We went to pick her up on the 26th, and brought her home to meet the family. Since then, she's filled a big hole in all our hearts, and claims her own spot in our family history as the smartest dog we have ever had. (also considers herself a chicken shepherd and protector). She is nine years old now and grey on her muzzle, but still going strong.