Christmas stories

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I have literally nothing left emotionally or physically. Healthcare/EMS right now has drained me. I was really looking forward to the Christmas Eve service tonight:

Well, we wound up missing church….but my estranged sister texted our sister group chat at 4 pm and said she’s missing our big family Christmases that we had as kids. Six of us were able to jump on zoom and so the cousins finally met each other tonight and I saw my seven and four year old nieces for the first time. 
I love candlelight Christmas Eve service, but this was better. 

What’s your Christmas story? Anyone else have a story,  even if it’s not this year?

[Katy]

We just handed out Christmas pajamas. My 3 & 4 year olds don’t remember them or even how to unwrap gifts, even with fall birthdays. They both got SO EXCITED over opening ugly Rudolf jammies that I think the whole family is more excited about tomorrow. The 3 year old was running circles around the house chanting “I love Christmas! I love Christmas!”

[JustEm]

What a beautiful story.

Last year, my older three kids came downstairs on Christmas Eve after their younger 3 siblings were asleep and took it upon themselves to deck our entire living room out with Christmas lights for an extra surprise in the morning.

Also last year, my second oldest who was 10 wanted a particular hoodie that was $50. She had asked for so many other things and Dh and I really thought she impulsively saw it and only sort of wanted it and we didn't want her big gift to be a hoodie so we didn't get it. But my oldest, who was 12, was determined to spend his own money on it for her. It ended up being her favorite gift.

[JustEm]

Also, tonight dh is working until midnight, so the kids are going to hang the lights up inside to surprise him when he gets off work

[readinmom]

My best story...

Ds 1 was 3 years old.  Dh had not worked in several months because of El Nino storms, and I was a full time student. We had no money to buy extras, just the gifts that my mom insisted on helping us buy.  My beloved little sister was visiting from Washington, and we were out picking up something from the market before it closed.  As we drove by the tree lot, she asked what our tree looked like this year.  I explained that we had no tree, no money to get one.  

She pulled over to the curb, made a u-turn and headed back to the tree lot in the market parking lot.  The gate was locked, and my sister pulled on the gate to get the man's attention.  He said he was leaving, closing up for the evening.  My sister insisted that she needed a tree for her little nephew.  The man looked at my sister, said "If you can climb the fence, take any tree you want.  I'm out of here." 

My sister hiked up her dress, scaled the fence in 3-inch heels, picked out a tree, climbed back over and hauled it to the car.  "Every child needs a Christmas tree."  

I got home about midnight that night, and dh figured out a makeshift tree stand, both of crying the entire time.  We decorated with what we could find, lots of candy canes and paper chains that ds had made for the holidays.  

The next morning, he walked in, saw the lighted tree with presents, overjoyed.  "Santa still found us.  And he brought me a tree.  It's just what I wanted."  He pointed at every ornament, light, etc. and shouted "I love it!" Ds napped/slept underneath the tree every day until it was time to toss it.  He called it his Santa tree.  

This story is one of our best memories of Christmas, simply because of my sister's actions and ds's joy.  My sister passed away 5 years ago, but this is the first story our family always talks about at Christmas dinner.  She was/is one of the most amazing people I know.  

[Katy]

3 minutes ago, readinmom said:

My best story...

Ds 1 was 3 years old.  Dh had not worked in several months because of El Nino storms, and I was a full time student. We had no money to buy extras, just the gifts that my mom insisted on helping us buy.  My beloved little sister was visiting from Washington, and we were out picking up something from the market before it closed.  As we drove by the tree lot, she asked what our tree looked like this year.  I explained that we had no tree, no money to get one.  

She pulled over to the curb, made a u-turn and headed back to the tree lot in the market parking lot.  The gate was locked, and my sister pulled on the gate to get the man's attention.  He said he was leaving, closing up for the evening.  My sister insisted that she needed a tree for her little nephew.  The man looked at my sister, said "If you can climb the fence, take any tree you want.  I'm out of here." 

My sister hiked up her dress, scaled the fence in 3-inch heels, picked out a tree, climbed back over and hauled it to the car.  "Every child needs a Christmas tree."  

I got home about midnight that night, and dh figured out a makeshift tree stand, both of crying the entire time.  We decorated with what we could find, lots of candy canes and paper chains that ds had made for the holidays.  

The next morning, he walked in, saw the lighted tree with presents, overjoyed.  "Santa still found us.  And he brought me a tree.  It's just what I wanted."  He pointed at every ornament, light, etc. and shouted "I love it!" Ds napped/slept underneath the tree every day until it was time to toss it.  He called it his Santa tree.  

This story is one of our best memories of Christmas, simply because of my sister's actions and ds's joy.  My sister passed away 5 years ago, but this is the first story our family always talks about at Christmas dinner.  She was/is one of the most amazing people I know.  

Best Christmas story I’ve heard 

[JustEm]

My absolute favorite to tell is the year that dh was let go at work the Friday before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I had already purchased all the kids' gifts so didn't have to worry about providing a good Christmas. Plus, we had a fake tree that came with the house we had purchased earlier that year so really Christmas was covered.

I could worry about all the financial stress of no income coming in without the added stress of figuring out Christmas for the kids. But I still had to break it to them that we wouldn't be able to get a real tree, something I had been doing forever and was always really important to me. Well when I told them, I just burst out crying. It wasn't really about me not having a real tree. It was all the insecurity I was feeling that not being able to get a tree symbolized. Worrying about replacing our income and how long we could make due with very little coming in. But man did I cry and my loving kids swooped in and held me. They squeezed me so tight.

Then at some point that weekend they hatches the plan to ask their granddad to give them their Christmas money early so they could buy me a tree and surprise me with it. So, my dad obliged and took them out and picked one up with dh and I having no idea. Best gift I've ever received.

[JustEm]

@readinmom I love your story so much.  What an awesome sister and sweet child.

[readinmom]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

@readinmom I love your story so much.  What an awesome sister and sweet child.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, Katy said:

Best Christmas story I’ve heard 

Thank you!

[Carol in Cal.]

The tree we put up when our daughter was about a year old was big and lovely.  We put on the lights and bubble lights and she was absolutely enthralled.

And I thought, "I can put on ornaments and fight her on not touching them for the next month, or leave them off this year and enjoy our already beautiful tree together."  I picked the latter and never regretted it for one minute.  That's one nice thing about having an only child.

[Kassia]

Oh my gosh, these stories are all so beautiful.  I'm in tears.  Thank you for sharing!  

[JustEm]

17 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

The tree we put up when our daughter was about a year old was big and lovely.  We put on the lights and bubble lights and she was absolutely enthralled.

And I thought, "I can put on ornaments and fight her on not touching them for the next month, or leave them off this year and enjoy our already beautiful tree together."  I picked the latter and never regretted it for one minute.  That's one nice thing about having an only child.

With six kids I've gone through the kids grabbing ornaments phase so many times. I've always just embraced it and simply don't have breakable ornaments during this season of our life. They love rearranging them, playing with them, carrying them around the house, and so forth. It brings me joy to watch them play with the ornaments the same exact way I did as a kid. So, thankful my mom let me.

I imagine someday we'll have breakable ornaments again but then grandkids will come and we'll switch to nonbreakable again.

[Shoeless]

3 hours ago, readinmom said:

My best story...

Ds 1 was 3 years old.  Dh had not worked in several months because of El Nino storms, and I was a full time student. We had no money to buy extras, just the gifts that my mom insisted on helping us buy.  My beloved little sister was visiting from Washington, and we were out picking up something from the market before it closed.  As we drove by the tree lot, she asked what our tree looked like this year.  I explained that we had no tree, no money to get one.  

She pulled over to the curb, made a u-turn and headed back to the tree lot in the market parking lot.  The gate was locked, and my sister pulled on the gate to get the man's attention.  He said he was leaving, closing up for the evening.  My sister insisted that she needed a tree for her little nephew.  The man looked at my sister, said "If you can climb the fence, take any tree you want.  I'm out of here." 

My sister hiked up her dress, scaled the fence in 3-inch heels, picked out a tree, climbed back over and hauled it to the car.  "Every child needs a Christmas tree."  

I got home about midnight that night, and dh figured out a makeshift tree stand, both of crying the entire time.  We decorated with what we could find, lots of candy canes and paper chains that ds had made for the holidays.  

The next morning, he walked in, saw the lighted tree with presents, overjoyed.  "Santa still found us.  And he brought me a tree.  It's just what I wanted."  He pointed at every ornament, light, etc. and shouted "I love it!" Ds napped/slept underneath the tree every day until it was time to toss it.  He called it his Santa tree.  

This story is one of our best memories of Christmas, simply because of my sister's actions and ds's joy.  My sister passed away 5 years ago, but this is the first story our family always talks about at Christmas dinner.  She was/is one of the most amazing people I know.  

This is amazing. ❤️ Thank you for sharing your sister's story with us ❤️

[theelfqueen]

So if it helps - I read this as Christmas Sorties -yeah I might work in a World War II museum lol

And figured it was about family drama! Your story is better. 

[Terabith]

Today my 3 year old nephew:  1) dictated a wish list to Santa requesting specific presents for a specific squirrel in a tree, 2) rolled a round Santa sculpture around and sang "Dreidel Dreidel," 3) was convinced a particular Santa sculpture was Uncle Mike (my husband) because he had a white beard, and 4) expressed great concern that Santa had a cold and lots of boogers because his cheeks are red.  

[dirty ethel rackham]

One of my favorite Christmas memories was the year I graduated college.  Our family tradition was that we would gather Christmas Eve, have dinner and open presents ("Santa" came when the younger kids were in the bathtub.)  My siblings never let anything corny escape without ridicule.  One kid always got an onion for Christmas as a joke.  That night, after all the presents were opened.  my oldest brother found my guitar in the closet and started playing and singing some Christmas songs and my family started joining in.  I couldn't believe it ... We had never done that before.  They would always ridicule me singing as way too corny!  Well, he started playing Feliz Navidad and I think we turned that into a 30 minute rendition.  By the type he played the last note, his fingers were bleeding all over my guitar.  (I'm sure the festive beverages helped him not notice the pain.)  

That night became part of our family lore passed down to our children.  This afternoon, we had some Christmas music playing and Feliz Navidad came on.  My daughter texted my brother wishing him a Feliz Navidad and asked if he was warming up his guitar.  My brother got a big kick out of that.  

[Eos]

We had Christmas yesterday, having put up stockings two nights ago.  6 of us managed to fully convince ourselves that yesterday was in fact Christmas, complete with roast beef and yorkshire pudding and buche de noel - Happy Boxing Day to all!