Your Favorite Holiday Memory

[iLander]

Wheze all be in needz of some cheerin'.

If this holiday season stinks for you, or so far it's turning out great, let's all look back at some happy memories. Post as many or as few memories as you like.

One of my favorites is when my DS was 7, and for some reason, my dad showed up that Christmas. After DS had gone to sleep, we dressed Dad up in a Santa suit. We woke up DS and we all peered into the living room to watch "Santa" put gifts under the tree, eat cookies, and then head out the back door. We rushed DS back to bed and told him to pretend to be asleep or Santa would know he was awake. The next day, and for years after, DS puzzled "if Mom and Dad were both standing behind me, who was in the Santa suit?"

He's totally forgotten that my Dad was there that one time, and to this day, he still hasn't figured it out.

 

[somethingshiny]

I have always loved the Holidays, especially Christmas!

When I was a kid, we lived in TX and every other year or so we'd travel to IL at Christmas to be with our extended family. My dad had an old truck that he would put a topper on and a mattress on the bed for my bro and I to ride in. It was freezing by the time we got to MO and we'd pile on the blankets. My bro would sleep most of the trip but I'd just peer out the back hatch at all the scenery loving how the snow seemed to start from nowhere. The frosted trees were/are my favorite. Rainbows would flash off of them in the bright sun. My dad would lock the hatch of the topper from the inside and outside so we had to crawl through the sliding window on the topper and the truck into the cab to get out. We would open it a few times during each trip to let some of the cab's warmth in our little "cabin."

One Christmas we got to decide if we wanted presents or the trip to IL. Hands down, it was the trip. We all got in the truck, with little sister in the front with Mom and Dad and bro and I in the back with the topper. Dad always had a cb radio and would talk to the truckers on the drive. While on the cb, he "met" another guy traveling with his family for the Holiday. They decided to meet at a truckstop so we could have breakfast. The man introduced himself in the parking lot and presented our family with the biggest, juiciest, reddest apples I've ever seen. I thought they were wonderful because they came in the little apple crate. When we got to Grandma's, she had homemade cutout cookies warming on the radiator. Bro and I ate our fill and then wandered out in the snow to play. Santa came to Grandma's that year and we got to sit with him. We each got our one most wanted gift from Santa and something Mom had made. That was my favorite Christmas ever.

 

[kenny]

Around 4 years old, squinting my eyes at the lit up tree at night till all the colors became large round blurs that ran together.
I'd just hold my eyes like that for a long time and study the shapes and colors.

 

[fieryred33143]

I have a few.

The year my dad found out he had cancer, he sat me down and explained there was no santa. He knew they wouldn't be able to afford the kind of christmas I was used to and wanted me to understand why. I was 10 at the time. I told him it was ok and that year I didn't ask for anything. I told him to save the money. Early Christmas morning one of my brothers woke up crying which woke me up. My mom asked me to get something from the kitchen and when I passed the living room it was filled with gifts. I talked to my mom about it and she said my dad really wanted me to have a great Christmas. I realized then that it wasn't about gifts, it was about love. I didn't care what was under the tree for me but was so appreciative for the love he had for our family. (Years after he passed I found out he actually borrowed money that Christmas).

Another favorite Christmas was a few years after my father's death. My mom, brothers, and I stayed in and played dominoes. My mom kept winning and then the game ended because we were trapped (I don't know correct term but we had the same # on both sides and no one had any of that # left) I counted and there were clearly some dominoes missing. My mom starts laughing so hard she was crying as domino pieces start flying out of her. Turns out she was cheating and stuffing the dominoes under her thinking we would have caught her. I had not seen my mom laugh that hard and that loud in a really long time.

And about 4 or 5 years ago, FI and I spent New Year's with his mom and dad. I got his mom drunk off of pina colada. Hilarious. I had a lot of fun that night and we spent most of the time in pjs.

 

[yssie]

iLander - that's so cute!!

ss - when we went to India in the middle of the year we'd do the 'Diwali drive' to see extended family, those trips were always awesome! Well, at least, my 6/7/8yo self thought so, It's possible the adults who had to deal with my screeching in close quarters for 15+hours didn't always think so...

kenny - our cats stare at the lights.. just like that..

fiery - that is a - bittersweet - story about your dad. I'm sorry for your loss - but it sounds like it was truly a Christmas to hold dear


When I was little my dad traveled a lot for his work - he was often on international assignments for months. Sometimes my mum and I pack up house and move with him, sometimes we couldn't... my favourite Christmases were definitely those that he was with us for

 

[purselover]

My favorite Christmas was definitely last year, DH and I had never had such a low-key relaxed Christmas, it was wonderful! Christmas eve we went upstate and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and spent the night in a hotel. The next day we spent only 1 hour with the in-laws and they were all on their best behavior, and then we went to my parents and spent a quiet afternoon there. That night we went back to the hotel and moved into the bridal suite for the next 2 days....We opened a bottle of wine and one of our good friends came over and we watched a movie. The next day we got married!

This year will definitely not be so relaxed we're driving 4 hours Christmas morning to spend a few days with DH's entire extended family, definitely not how I wanted to spend our first anniversary.

 

[Jessie702]

Some of my best christmas memories are with my father. My dad didnt live with my mom and I, but would come into town to spend the holidays with us.My father was a pianist, and usually christmas eve he would play our "song", which was the theme from Ice Castles. My mom usually had all the christmas gifts wrapped, but would stay up all night cooking the christmas ham, and the next day, we would open gifts early, have some breakfast, go visit with my God Parents, and than come home. After getting home, is when people would start to come over, and people would come and go all day, drop off gifts, eat some food, and play monopoly. Monopoly, is the family tradition, and will play for hours. ( My mom is so bad, she loans you money so you can stay in the game, instead of going bankrupt). It was usually a day filled with friends and family, food, laughter and a nap or two.

 

[iLander]

Bump.