What is your Favorite family Holiday story....

[Mom2oddson]

I've been enjoying the favorite gift threat (it's really helping with my Christmas mood...thanks Buddy). I thought it would be nice to share a favorite holiday story.

One that my parents tell a lot is from when I was 5yr old. My Mom had morning sickness so bad that she could barely get out of bed. It was Christmas eve morning and the Christmas tree still wasn't decorated. I guess I got upset about that and told my parents that Santa was going to come and say "Ho, Ho, Ho...Why isn't this dumb tree decorated?".......

One of my favorite stories is from the Christmas after my Grandpa passed away. I took easy child to Michigan to spend Christmas with my Grandma. She had mentioned that she wished my parents were coming too. Well, because I was leaving to visit my other grandma the end of Christmas day, I talked my parents into surprising Grandma on Christmas day. Mom told Grandma that Dad was insisting on going to Vegas for Christmas... she complained about it for a month just to throw Grandma off. Well, the neighbor kid dressed up as Santa to deliver the gifts to easy child. Then he tells Grandma that he had a gift for her and he goes outside. I've got the video camera on Grandma to catch her reaction. She just sits there as my parents come in....and nothing. When she finally realized that it was my parents she said "I thought I had died because I knew L & D were in Vegas!" She was greatly surprised and enjoyed that Christmas. oh....and it's a lot easier to get toys in a suitcase when they were wrapped then trying to get them in there after they've been unwrapped/unboxed!

 

[buddy]

That's a great story. what a lot of preparation and love you all put forth.

I love that you said that about the dumb undecorated tree. In religion class when I was young we were taught about Jesus dying on the cross. I was at the drawing stage where I learned a little bit about perspective and had made three hills connected with three crosses (now you will see how much I learned because I wont be able to say the names) but Jesus was in the middle and the two other guys being crucified were on each of the other two hills. I had a bubble coming out of the mouth of one of the men (in my mind he was praying of course) and it said "Oh, Jesus!"

I found it in my moms bedside drawer when I was much older and I got it then, we both peed our pants laughing

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh hilarious Dee!

I dont have many cute stories from my childhood Xmas's but I have one from my kids that we tell almost every year. I can guarantee you that from the year after it happened until the day they die, they will tell you about the worst Xmas that turned into the best Xmas ever. We got my boys good that year. And what is so funny is that they still talk about it...lol.

What happened is that they wanted a go cart or three-wheeler/quad for years and we had told them over and over again that we would never do that for them. A: because it was something we could never afford and B: we felt quads and 3 wheelers were extremely dangerous. Go carts not so much because of the roll cages and the fact you could put the controls on how fast they can go. But this particular Xmas I had been in an accident and got a settlement. I had a bit of money for that Xmas. Enough to get a go cart...a two seater.

Well, other than the go cart we got them some minor stuff. My dad had got them the latest gaming system so we got them each a couple of games to go with it, a couple of outfits for school, new undies and socks, a few books...a board game or two. The tree was very bare compared to our normal years. The boys put on very brave faces and opened their gifts and thanked us over and over for the nice gifts even though Jamie cant stand to read...lol. They sort of just sat on the couch and turned on the tv waiting for football to start. It was nice out that day so I opened the front door (on purpose). Tony had snuck out of the house while they werent paying attention because we had the cart housed at a neighbors. Now it wasnt uncommon for us to hear one of the neighbors to be out on a new 4 wheeler so when the boys heard the sound of an engine they didnt immediately put it together but Cory said a bit listlessly...sounds like someone got a new something...

I just said...hmmm...I wonder who. They got up and went to the door and looked out and their dad was driving the cart down the driveway and Jamie like the idiot he is said "Why is daddy driving someone's go cart Momma?" Cory of course, caught on right away!

They flew out of the house and we didnt see them all afternoon. Of course it didnt take too long for them to tear it up. Jamie liked to have killed himself with it. If it hadnt been for the rollbar, he would have gone straight under the house. He tried to start it while turned around backwards. I never said he was the smartest crayon in the pack.

 

[AnnieO]

My favorite Christmas story starts on December 21, 2004.

Dad called my then-fiance (husband now). husband made me sit down and then told me my Grandma had passed away.

Mom was already in NM, and Dad and I had a flight out on the 23rd. Well, we couldn't get one on the 22nd, but starting the 21st we got a HECKUVA snow storm. So the evening of the 22nd, husband and his 4WD drove me and Dad to the Cincinnati airport. We got hotel rooms.

Our 9 AM flight was cancelled; we rebooked on a 3 PM. It got cancelled, too. Found another one, at 1 PM Christmas Eve, out of Columbus. While we were waiting, we ate at the Cracker Barrel next door. husband found a hand puppet that meowed "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for my Mom.

So, we drove home. The next morning, husband went and got Dad, and then me, and we headed to Columbus in roads with 2" of ice on them. (Have I ever mentioned I don't like bad roads? We got 28" of snow in less than 24 hours.)

Dad and I arrived in El Paso at 11:45 PM on Christmas Eve; Mom picked us up & we drove to Las Cruces. The next morning... There was a tree, and gifts. Mom's best friend (the one who now has ALS) went shopping to make sure we had something to open.

It was a time for family... And Grandma was with us, in spirit, I know.

 

[KTMom91]

I was 16 and my brother was 13. He had developed an irritating habit of coming up to me, tugging on my shirt, and saying, "I got a new kitty." So...I decided to get him a new kitty for Christmas. The mall had a kiosk that would put your gift in a can and seal it, so you had to use a can opener to get into it. I bought a stuffed cat, had it canned, and set it under the tree. It drove him nuts because shaking it did no good, it was light and he couldn't get into it.

Bright and early Christmas morning, we're gathered around the tree waiting for S...who appeared holding the can opener.

Another gift, also involving my brother, but this time, we were both in our 30's. S found one of Miss KT's songs hilarious (she was about 4) about "pink shoes on my feet, Barney panties on my butt." And so...I had a pair of tighty whities airbrushed with Barney's face on the butt. And I have the pictures to prove it!

 

[hearts and roses]

My favorite story is from when I was real little. Gone With the Wind had been re-released in the theaters and my family went to see it on Christmas Eve while I stayed next door at our neighbors. I was asleep when my brother came to get me, I'm sure I was around 2 and he would have been around 15. As he was carrying me home he stopped and said, in a whisper, "Do you hear them? The jingling bells? I think that's Santa flying over, on his way to our house. Shhh, we better hurry and get to bed!". And I swear, I DID hear jingling bells!

I wonder if my brother remembers that.