Holiday Memories

Holiday Memories (Full Version)

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Sasy -> Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 10:17:41 AM)
This year brought an awakening to our family and I think alot of families that weathered Ike. We have decided three things, One being we will not let Christmas go as we have before with bare minimals on giving. And tho we are not wealthy we will make sure one family does not go without both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, with ALL the trimmings. Also that our tree will be real &only hold ornaments that are hand made ( except lights candles tho trees dawned them for many years just doesnt seem safe). So I see this Holiday season as the one that will make memories What is your favorite Holiday memory?

LinnaeaBorealis -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 11:00:41 AM)
I apologize upfront for this being a long post. [:)] When my daughter was 8, I was working fulltime, but we were very poor. I had no money to buy any Christmas presents for her at all. My Mom sent me a gift certificate for the grocery store in order to buy the traditional turkey & all the trimmings so we would have dinner. So I looked through my closets & found things to wrap & put under the tree for her; a co-worker told me she was getting her daughter a new stereo for Christmas, so I asked her for the old portable record player & wrapped that. I called it the Christmas of the previously loved gifts. This was also the year that she began to question Santa Claus' existence as a real entity. My Uncle Sandy dressed up as Santa & went to children's homes on Christmas Eve & had done that since I was her age. I had told her that Santa would be coming & she wanted to know who it would really be. I told her she had to figure that out when he got there. He & his wife were to babysit her that day & we all figured she would know immediately who was in the suit. They wouldn't have time to eat before heading out to play Santa at homes all over the Greater Seattle area for about 6-8 hours, so we hatched a plan that Chelsea would recognize him & then they could come in & have the dinner I was keeping warm for them & be on their way When we heard the sleighbells at the door, I sent her to open it & let him in. When she brought him back to the living room, she was quite obviously under a spell. She knew this was really Santa Claus in her home. He stayed an extra long time & talked a lot, hoping that she would realize who it was, but she no longer thought he was anybody but the real & true Santa. Finally, he had to leave to make the rest of his rounds & told her to go to the big window & watch for his sleigh to go by as he headed out to see other children. She went over to the window & stood there, watching intently. I walked Sandy to the door & when I came back, she was still watching out the window & didn't appear to even know I was there. I sat on the couch & watched her, entranced. After a few minutes, I swear I could see the spell lift & she turned around & demanded, "Who was that guy???" That was my best Christmas ever & I've had 60 great ones!!

sirsholly -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 12:23:55 PM)
All the holidays from my childhood were pretty bad, so as i grew i began to hate the holidays. But now that we have our little one i am starting to recapture the magic of Christmas by seeing it through his eyes.

yourdarkdesire -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 12:29:58 PM)
hmm - me too Holly. The most enduring memory (and definitely the WORST) is my Mom getting bombed at Christmas dinner. Probably the reason why I rarely touch alcohol.

sirsholly -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 12:32:54 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: yourdarkdesire hmm - me too Holly. The most enduring memory (and definitely the WORST) is my Mom getting bombed at Christmas dinner. Probably the reason why I rarely touch alcohol. It hurts alot...but there is a good side too...we will make sure our kids will not have bad memories.

yourdarkdesire -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 12:42:07 PM)
Christmas is about my kids .......... when money is tight they are the only things that matter.

sub4hire -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 1:54:21 PM)
For me the holidays mean family. We're doing things a little different this year. The holiday won't actually fall on the day of. It will be a week prior that way we can all be together yet also be with others on the day of. It's different but it is what memories are made of. I've always overdone the gifts for the kids. This year will be no different.

LinnaeaBorealis -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 2:04:08 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sirsholly All the holidays from my childhood were pretty bad, so as i grew i began to hate the holidays. But now that we have our little one i am starting to recapture the magic of Christmas by seeing it through his eyes. I'm so sorry that you had those bad expriences, Holly. But good on ya that you're able to turn that around. I was very fortunate to have had wonderful holidays & therefore wonderful memories of same. It was the other days of the year that weren't always so good. In my adulthood, I decided that I would do whatever I had to do in order to make it a great Christmas. One year, I cooked 8 turkeys & served dinner with my daughter alongside at a homeless shelter. That was a great one too. Acouple of years, we've gotten names off of giving trees & bought presents for those who had little in the names of my family members who have lots. Those were wonderful holidays too. I hope that every holiday you have from now on is memorable for the joy!!

LaTigresse -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 2:05:47 PM)
My favourite holiday is Thanksgiving. But now that I have new short people in my family it is getting fun again. I remember going to my grandmother's farm for Christmas and just being in total heaven. It really was the best part of Christmas as a kid. We were so poor that it kinda sucked at home. I've always gone overboard with my kids, can't seem to help myself. I just adore cooking up a storm and surrounding myself with people I love. Last Christmas was pretty awsome.

pissthirstysub -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 2:14:31 PM)
The little ones definatly make the holidays better, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween. I think my favorite memories include them, being able to observe all the excitement in a new light.

AquaticSub -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 4:19:41 PM)
~Fast Reply~ My favorite memory is probably going to seem strange but it's laying on the hardflood floor as a little girl and feeling the cool wood on my cheek at night. I turned the lights of except the holiday ones and watching the colors reflecting on the polished floor while I heard the electronic holiday music pour out of music boxes and being surrounded by all brightly wrapped boxes.

soul2share -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 5:08:48 PM)
Growing up, thanksgiving and christmas meant the family getting together for the meals.....all 25 or so of us. I remember the smells of cooking food, playing with my cousins, going outside to play in the snow, or watching the snowstorm hit us while we were there. Yeah, the presents were good and all, but we had a period of time where things were tough for us as a family, and even that wasn't able to put a damper on the feelings of everyone there. Personally, because it's just me, the holidays are just another day for me...I'd rather work them and let the folks with families off....but I'll cook a complete dinner with all the trimming for the guys and gals at work, so we can at least do the pigging out thing! When I'm able to get home for the holidays, it's the time together with everyone that is more important than anything else to me. Ironically, the two hardest "holidays" for me to get thru are Mother's day and Father's day, since I am ususally not home for them. I get bummed on both days.......go figure.

servantheart -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/22/2008 8:03:39 PM)
My favorite holiday memory will always be the smell of the Christmas tree, watching the lights after it was decorated and my Dad in the kitchen cooking the turkey, candied yams, green beans, homemade mashed potatos, lemon ice box pie with meringue and His specialty....homemade dressing. God I miss Him [:(]

LinnaeaBorealis -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/23/2008 12:43:14 AM)
When I was a child, we didn't have a Christmas tree holder like they have today. We had a galvanized steel bucket that my Father would fill with dirt & stand the tree up in it in a corner of the room. The tree skirt was a white bedsheet that we would tuck around the tree trunk to hide the bucket. We always had the big dinner & opened the presents on Christmas Eve. Apparently this was Norwegian tradition. The next morning, we would always have one more present that my Mom would magically "find". I would get up on Christmas morning before everyone else & get my cool new stuff & go behind the tree & play all by myself. It was this cozy secret place where I got to play for the week after Christmas. Even my sister respected it & never bothered me back there. It smelled so yummy, all fresh evergreen & fresh dirt, just like a forest in the house.

purepleasure -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/23/2008 6:08:23 AM)
My fondest Christmas memories are when we bring the tree ornaments out of storage to decorate. My family has exchanged ornaments (usually handmade) for years with friends and extended family members. As each unique ornament comes out of the box, it's a pleasure to take a moment to remember the giver, and the importance of the role they played in my life.

cjan -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/23/2008 6:47:01 AM)
For many years, due to unpleasant memories from childhood, I hated the holiday season and thought of them as "The Hollow Days". In more recent years, I've tried to make the most of them , mostly by trying to keep them simple and focusing on enjoying the company of those dear to me, cooking and sharing good times and trying to do something to make the Hollow Days more full for some folks less fortunate than I am. Cool thread. I enjoy reading about these memories and experiences y'all have had.

sunshinemiss -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/23/2008 8:24:17 AM)
I started a fun little rule for myself of buying a xmas ornament everywhere I go. I recommend it. When I was living in So. Amer. I was coming home in the middle of January. I asked my aunt to keep the tree up until I got there just so I could lay under it with the dog, the lights on late at night. She did. It was one of the few times in my life someone did something for no reason other than to make me smile. I can't tell you how deeply it touched me that they kept that tree up for weeks after their usual time... just for me. sunshine

VirginPotty -> RE: Holiday Memories (10/23/2008 8:58:31 AM)
The holidays were not so bad that I hate holidays all together but they were nothing to write home about either. I enjoyed going to Wisonsin to my step-dad's family home where we were able to ride into town on horse drawn sleighs, but that was not often. Like most on here, I tried to make it extra special for my um and even though I didn't have alot of $$ I found activities to do that didn't cost alot...."Breakfast w/Santa, going to the jungle gym at the Mall & having her pics taken w/Santa and on Christmas Day, when it was just the 2 of us, we'd go to an early movie after spending the morning/afternoon unwrapping gifts, listening to Christmas songs etc. We both enjoyed our "movie times". Now that I have 3 grandums and a bit more $$, I try to do more for them by buying the gifts they want not need but I also remember how special just spending time together is so I don't make it too commercialized. If Christmas Day has good weather, I'll take them outside to the park for a walk around the lake (they have THE BEST man made lake w/an incredible path circling it near their home).

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