Favorite Holiday Memory

My best holiday memory was i think when i was 12 and when i woke up and it was so cold and it was misty and cloudy and it felt great and that was after days of 40c heat and everything felt great, about 40 people came over for christmas and stayed till 1am.
One day i want to have christmas somewhere when its snowing, it seems so cool and romantic

 

Christmas of 2004.

I had NO tree, bought NO presents, there were no decorations of any type. Instead, I splurged and went to Disneyland for the full holiday weekend (4 days).

The park was beautiful, they really go all out with the lights and decorations. Say what you want about Disney, but it's the only time in my life where I felt completely, and I mean COMPLETELY cut off from the rest of the world. Plus, soooo many amazing things happened while I was there, it was like an angel was on my shoulder, making sure I had the best time possible.

Oh, and it was amazingly blissful to be able to take a year off from all the materialism and stress and hype of shopping and sales and crowds and stuff.

Good times.

 

When I was about 10 year old, my Dad adopted a needy family through his work. We picked out gifts for this single mother and her three kids that were all from the thrift store, I think. I don't remember a single gift I got that year but I remember alot of the things we got for them. They actually came to our house on Christmas Eve and we opened gifts together. They were so happy to have their thrift store gifts.

 

I loved going to my Grandmothers house,at Christmas. The whole family got together and it was a warm & wonderful feeling. The sights,the smells,the laughter,was all amazing.
Christmas just hasn't been the same since. I miss those days.

 

Ahhh..........Grandmas!

My Grandma used to put together sacks of fruit and candy for all of us. She also bought all the women panties. The funny thing is she had no idea what size anybody wore so it was a big trade off. Skinny people got huge panties and vice versa. It was pretty hysterical! I don't remember what she got the men. Now I'm going to have to call my Mom and ask!

 

Hmm, i guess mine might be my Christmas in Toronto with my mothers family. I got to spend the entire time with my cousin who was born within less than an hour of me, same day, same year, half way across the country. We always had that "ying and yang" type relationship. He could only climb up stairs when he was little, i could only climb down stairs. He loved mickey mouse, i loved donald duck. We have always been expact opposites, but somehow been the best of friends. Since he lives so far away i never really get to see him, but i can still remember the one Christmas i was over there a long time ago. It was very fun

 

Probably the first Christmas my father didn't live with me. Which would have been last Christmas.

It was just me and my mom (for a while, he did show up to give us a couple of gift cards and eat some dinner). We chilled, messed around with our presents, ate her amazing food, and just had a good time.

Before that one, my dad ruined every holiday with his temper and drinking .

This year will be extra good, though. My dad isn't coming over at all!

 

I don't know if I have ONE memory. They do tend to bleed into each other.

When I was young, my grandparents and my aunt would drive over to my parents house, they'd have coffee (and virgin Bloody Marys, I think), and then my brother (and sister, eventually) and I would be allowed to open presents. So I have memories of sitting by the window in our old living room, by the light of the Christmas tree, waiting for those two Ford Mustangs (one yellow, one white) to drive up.

My father is Roman Catholic, and he raised us in that faith. So he'd make an advent wreath out of a foam ring and garlands, and have three purple and one pink candle stuck in it. Each night before dinner, we'd light the appropriate number of candles and have a reading or prayer.

About ten years ago, we started doing the "white elephant" exchange. We go out and try to find the absolute WORST present we can find. Various things I've managed to find: a huge electric razor in a carrying case...with "beard trimmings" still in the case, and plastic toys for young children symbolizing the ten plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament (I don't recall what there was for "death of the first-born sons"). But the one I got the first year still is the best, I think. A homemade lamp. The damn thing was made of unsanded logs, painted purple and grey, and looked like some sort of art-deco tree. When I was standing in line to buy it, this 70-year-old woman behind me asked, "Excuse me, I hate to bother you, but what the HELL is that thing?" I knew I'd win that year.

Lex

 

Mine would have to be 3 years ago, the last christmas my brother was alive for a family Christmas. It was the first christmas in a while that me my brother and my sister were all home christmas eve, and we just hung out and lay on my bed talking. I was 13, and I guess I had just gotten old enough that we could actually talk.
The next morning, we all had to go to our least favourite grandparent's house for christmas day, and my brother wanted coffee, but everywhere was closed because it was christmas. So we eventually finally found a Starbucks that was open, and we all burst in there yelling "COOOFFEEEE!" And he started singing Hallelujiah. XD

That was our last christmas together, and I'll never forget it. He died the January after that.

 

There are so many things that happen on Christmas

We used to go to my grandmothers house for tea. She always had tinned salmon sandwiches cut in little triangles (just the way I liked them) and we would go play snakes and ladders with our great grandmother.
I've always loved the smell of Christmas. The tree and decorations all smell of Christmas, which is a nice smell.

I used to get really really excited about a mysterious bearded man breaking into the house, so I would stay up until the early hours of the morning trying to listen out for him.
And then I would sneak downstairs to see all of the presents wrapped up under the tree.

As for specific memories, the first Christmas we got our dog, she peed on the tree and ripped open one present which was chocolate
Oh and the house opposite us is absolutely covered in lights from top to bottom. It's nice to look at.

 

I can not think of any thing specific. However some of my favorites are when my nephews and niece were younger when they still believe in Santa. They would be so excited telling me what Santa brought them and how they left cookies, milk and carrots by the fireplace. It was nice because it was years since we had little kids running around.

Also its funny because my mom would have everyone take turns opening up gifts, so we can "appreciate" what everyone got. It worked well when my nephews and niece were younger, NOT. My mom would get so mad.

 

(*hug*) (*hug*)

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My Christmasses have been pretty similiar, except for one that definitely had an added something. My brother was born on December 23, 1997. My mom stayed in the hospital for two days to have her tubes tied...so they came home Christmas morning. My little brother came home in this red stocking.