Good Morning. Most memorable Christmases

Merry Christmas to those that celebrate the holiday. I hope you and yours are enjoying the festivities and that you are not stressing out trying to please everyone or make things perfect or going overboard slacking the need to buy things. The most memorable Christmases that I can recall are not the perfect ones or the ones where everyone got tons of gifts but the ones that were a little bit off kilter or different or special. Or, where mother nature gave us a present of snow on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 

One of my most memorable Christmases was the last day we spent with my hubby's mother. We drove to be at her house that Christmas morning and mother nature gave us beautiful snow flurries that she was able to enjoy along with the usual gift exchanging. She slipped into a comma late that afternoon and passed the next morning. What a wonderful mother and mother-in-law she was. On Christmas, 3 years before, she hugged and held me while I cried tears of happiness. Her baby boy had just told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. I do love Christmas but not the perfect ones. 

Happy Christmas to all. May your Christmas be special and not perfect.

--gina
  

 Beautiful story Gina!  As a child my most memorable Christmas was the one that we got a kitten on.  I am still a crazy cat lady with 3, but that tiny baby was the most memorable gift ever!  My Grandmother-in-law died on Christmas day several years ago.  It seemed appropriate as she was always carrying her bible with her.  She was in her 90's and had a good life!

Merry Christmas to all and thanks for everyone's part in making this such a good year for me!

Merry Christmas Gina and all of my LW Family.

Growing up Jewish, I didn't get to celebrate Christmas until I was an adult and away from home.  When I had Zach I became and equal opportunity celebrator and we celebrated the holidays of everyone.  I raised him spiritual, not religious, so we got to partake in everything.  Our main celebration came on New Year's Eve (in the Russian style) when we opened gifts and had big parties.  When he was very young, we'd go have Christmas morning with close friends (who I'll be visiting in West Virginia this week).  Every single one of them was special and well remembered.

For me Christmas is about being with friends that I love.  Tonight I'll be having dinner in Virginia with people that I've been close to since before Zach was born in 1974.  Their girls will be there.  When I met them they were 4 and 6 and came to my house all the time.  They're not little girls anymore, but they still look forward to my coming for Christmas.  I love the holiday spirit and the gift of giving.  I particularly enjoy the giving to those that don't have the abundance that I do in my life.  This year I chose to gift to an orphanage in Nepal that a close friend founded and runs.

Give someone something unexpected.  The gift of kindness lasts the entire year.

Much love to each of you that has given me so much unexpected love and support in 2010.  I hope I can pass on just a little of that joy in the coming year.

I love your story Gina, how very touching and memorable.

I have 2 most memorable moments during Christmas. The first would be when I was 6, we were living in Italy and Dad finally came home from a long year deployment. No one really recognized him but when it all hit us, he hugged me like there was no tomorrow. I still get hugs from him like that, they make you feel warm and safe.

The second would be marrying my husband 10 years ago. Although it was the 29th, we bought the marriage license on the 23rd. It was unexpected and was witnessed by my oldest 2 children and my sister in the Pastors living room at 8 pm. My only regret is not having any pictures.

Wonderful times.

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my family here.  This has been a remarkable year for me and each of you helped make it that way! 
Sandi

I'm written out, folks.  But thinking of all of you!

May your Christmases be filled with merriment!

I don't think I have ever had a bad Christmas but the most memorable one for sure is when my kids were 10 and 6.  The oldest, Josh is developmentally disabled.  We were living in a large 2 story house and the living room with the Christmas tree was across the entry from the stairs going to the upstairs bedroom.  You can imagine our surprise when we desended the stairs to see what Santa had brought and found a hurricane of paper, boxes, stuff all over everywhere. At some time during the night, Josh had come down and opened every present.  It took days to figure out what was from and to who.  Josh and I were about the same size then, he is 6'2" now and everything was everywhere. Plus, can you imagine being 6 and having no presents to open.  Luckily, even his sister and all can laugh about it now.

My most memorable Christmas was when I was 21.  I was a senior in college. I was married to my first husband.  He was a lieutenant in the Air Force.  Between my college tuition and life in general, we didn't have any money for Christmas.  Heck, we hardly had money for food.  I gave birth to my oldest son on Dec 22.  With college, finals, and pregnancy, I didn't have the time or the energy for Christmas.  I brought DS home from the hospital on Christmas day in a stocking (a gift from the hospital which I still have today).   My parents had driven to AR from PA and put Christmas together for us.  We had a small tree and gifts.  Mom bought and cooked the holiday meal.  It was unforgettable for me. 

What better gift than a healthy baby and family that loves you?  I can't even remember a single present that I received.  Just the feeling of love from having my family there.

I look back and realize how lucky I am to have such wonderful parents.  I lost my Mom to cancer in 2001. She was the heart of our family and my best role model.  I can't think about Christmas without thinking of her. 

My kids and grandkids will be over tomorrow.  Today is a snuggle day for DH and me.

Merry Christmas!

Kay

Awww....I love all these stories! It's better than watching the Hallmark Channel this time of year. :)

I am like Rosa.....all written out and tired.....not one specific Christmas comes to mind though.

Thanks for sharing your memories and Merry Christmas! :)

 For me most memorable may be today. I received so many generous gifts from my neighbors (living in a condo complex, we get close). There is a large bottle of Bailey's, box of See's candy, two candy bags with my favorite Lindt truffles. The reason this is memorable, I will give all of it away!! Not even tempted, just appreciative. 

My holidays usually center on food. To keep myself true, I turned down 3 invitations to dinner. Instead I am going to movies with my dear friend, who took me and picked me up from the hospital. She is having difficulties with her children, so I m her distraction (her words exactly).

I talked to my 93 year old mother, and will make about ten family/friend calls.

I am having trouble with nausea over a month out, still wearing a sea-sickness patch. Other than that, I am doing fine. I am so grateful for my surgery and the support I get here.