Elana

Hi all.. Share your good and great Holiday Memories here! Make us laugh or cry but make it GOOD.

This can be a stressed time of year if you are in a fix with an addict. It is important to take focus of that and think abot something good (especially when you are stressed).

This is the first year in a LONG time that I have no expectations and no relationship in my life. I am doing so well. I am so very happy these days. I am the Chief Salesman for the Single Life!!!

Good dog and good cats go a long way to replacing a codependent relationship with an addict! So, after 20 years of marriage to an alcoholic and 7 years with an addict, I am FREE. My gift to me is my own happiness this year (plus I baked bread and cookies which I am sharing with my neighbors).

My awesome Christmas memories? The year I got a New Single Speed Rollfast Bike. Girls bike.. dark deep blue with Chrome fenders. It was all I wanted (except for a horse but we lived in the City of Albany so no horse). I loved that bike. Washed it and waxed it every day!

Then there was the year, after we moved to the Country, and we had horses, that we got a surprise 20 inches of snow over night. The next morning (Xmas Day) the horses were playing in the snow.. and it was wonderful. They ran to greet me when I brought them their food and water in the morning.

So, what are your memories? Any good ones? I bet you can top mine with ease! Share the joy.. especially for those who are struggling.

Ann

I've had happy Christmas's and sad ones, but the best thing I have found over the years is that giving brings its own blessings.

This year we are delivering some Santa gifts tonight and then having a quiet day tomorrow before joining family again Boxing day. This is one of my best Christmas's because my heart is in a good place, a place of peace.

Merry Christmas, Elana.

marle

There was a program on a couple of weeks ago called, "For One More Day" taken from a book by Mitch Albom. It gave a man down on his luck and ready to commit suicide one more day with his mother who had passed away. That book made me think of what if I could have one more day with someone that I loved who had passed and I decided that I would want to spend one more Christmas Day with my mother-in-law, Jane. She made Christmas special. Hugs, Marle

krhea75

hmmm.... a special christmas? I have had many. When I was 16 I got my own typewriter! I was so thrilled because I was going to become a writer! It was one of those small manual ones, but I felt so sophisticated. Computers have brought us a long way. Another Christmas that was special was taking my sons to Disney world for special Christmases. WE did this 2 times when we were all still together as a family. Those were fun holidays. today i celebrate with my boyfriend who loves me so dearly and my sons who have grown up into men. One is an addict struggling to find his path, the other just a spacey college kid. Life is far from perfect, but as I look over the past year, progress has been made. Wishing you all a peaceful christmas. Off to church now.
krhea

Mewoman

I remember my niece and nephew on xmas morning , being soo super excited , going crazy opening gifts . My nephew was five and his sister was three , he was so fast at opening his presents and his sister sat and picked at each piece of tape LOL . She still had a ton of gifts not open while he was done , so he had a HUGE meltdown thinking he didn't get as many presents as her LOL The year before that we wrapped up about six empty wrapping paper rolls , my nephew thought that was the best gift ever LOL six swords !!!! he got more of kick out of opening all those ' swords ' haha .

This Xmas , we aren't sure where my niece is , shes been gone for two days . She relapsed after a month in a program and her brother is back in jail , he was denied bail this morning for a theft charge . Oh well I guess we know he is warm and fed for the holidays .

After typing the bad part I am going to try and not give it much more negative thought , I am gonna go wrap the last few presents for my boys and make sure their christmas is great !!!!

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((bigholidayhugs4eve ryone))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

mooselips

Ahhh...I remember when I was 7, at that time we were living in the city of Cleveland Ohio, kind of the same location where "The Christmas Story" was filmed.

The snow always seemed SO deep every Christmas, (or maybe I was shorter, eh?) and every Christmas Eve, we'd have company over, and my mother would buy a bucket of shrimp, along with the other food she made. We always dressed up for the holidays, and wore a new Christmas dress, and was all bundled up. I even had a WHITE fake rabbit muff.

I can remember peeking down around the steps late at night hoping to see Santa.(never did)

The only gift I ever remember receiving is a doll that was the same size as I was, and she kind of looked like ME!

I also remember a silver tree with a rotating light thing turning and making the tree blue, green, red....

Gosh nice stuff to remember...
thank you

cece1960

Last Thursday at work we were talking about the best and worst gifts.
I think I won the "worst" category when I mentioned my ex got me a shotgun one year.
I don't hunt, nor do I like guns. He lived to hunt.

He just couldn't pass up the deal.

Word of advice to anyone who might consider ticking the wife off by buying a gun...not the smartest move, ya know?

Wascally Wabbit

If there's a baby at Christmas, I will be in hog heaven!
This year is going to be a hoot. My granddaughter who lives with me is 2 and a half. Oh boy!!!

Wascally Wabbit

Ok, my favorite Christmas memory.
It was around 1963 I think. I was 8 years old. The Beatles were the absolute RAGE.
I begged my dad for the Beatles first album, "MEET THE BEATLES". I begged for MONTHS. His answer was always the same! "I will NOT have that kind of music playing in my house!" Mind you, he was in the navy 26 years and had record albums of screaming natives pounding on drums, but the Beatles were too much for him.

As Christmas got closer and closer, I realized my chances of getting this one single thing I wanted were zero. He was adamant about it. That was that.

It was the first Christmas I actually woke up depressed. I knew it wouldn't be there and what was the point of opening stuff I didn't want. packs of socks, hair barettes.

Well, later in the afternoon after I had gone to my room and cried all day over the fact I would never see that Beatles album, my father hollered my name.

I came out. He was sitting with his pipe in his mouth reading the paper.
He looked at me and said, "I think you missed a present".
But dad, there's nothing left under the tree!?!?
Look, I see something over there, under the sofa...

Can you hear the emotional girl screams from 45 years ago? A Beatles album!

sleepygoat

One Christmas when my daughter was about 7 or 8, her stepdad asked her what she knew about the story of Christmas. (Mind you, she had no religious training and only a little bit of church attendance because her mom (me) isn't religious). She said, "Well I know that Jesus was raised in a barn by The Village People." that became legend in our family thereafter.

Elana

One year I came down to the barn and this big white cow.. a Challenge Daughter.. had apure white heifer calf. Brand New to the world and sleeping in the knee deep straw. We named her Noel.

I think we had 3 or 4 Christmas calves born while I was on the farm. Most were bull calves so were sold within a week and I do not recall them. I do recall Noel.

rozied

I haven't been on in awhile. One of my best memories was a Christmas Eve when my 34 yr old son was about 10. He was serving Christmas Eve mass. It was midnight & the whole church was lit with about 1000 candles. My hubby & I walked to church in the snow. It is a Christmas Eve memory I'll never forget.
Diane