what was the best Christmas that you can remember?

**many houseapes** · 12-08-2005, 04:16 PM

I love to hear of other families' christmas stories.....
........the best Christmas that I can ever remember was also the most simplest. 1996 in Wisconsin....It was a very lean year...I was expecting baby #6 and working a part time job as a nursing assistant(which I had to quit in Oct. of that year b/c of the effect on the pregnancy) anyway, during this time, I scraped and saved back every penny that I could to try and give at least 1 gift for each of the kids and dh....and i was able to do just that...dh got a cordless screwdriver, the older boys each got a board game that they wanted, the 3 girls each got the barbie doll that they had wanted and for the new baby(born a week before Christmas), he got a set of "rolly balls'( three round animals with bells inside)...what I recieved was so priceless....a new baby son. Dh couldn't get me anything for Christmas(materialistically), so he waited until he was paid after Christmas and bought me a few hair barettes and a small assortment of Christmas fabric...........
.........also during the season we had done things with the kids to make it as nice as we could for them...we drove around and looked at Christmas lights, set some cheap birdseed out...and orange peel halves filled with a little peanut butter & seed & hung them like baskets with shiny pipe cleaners in the trees for the birds & other critters......also my oldest dd and I went around selling Christmas angel ornaments that we had made( after tithe, I had given her a portion of the sales for helping and the rest went to pay on what we owed for the kids school tuition....(about $24, but enough to keep them off of our backs)............we also watched the Christmas specials on t.v with the kids and Christmas videos....although it was a rough year, it was a very wonderful one.

**slowtypinwoman** · 12-08-2005, 04:48 PM

What a wonderful story. Isn't it nice whe you can focus on family insead of I want.

I would have to say one of my childhood Christmas'. I don't remember what I got but I remember my mom and dad made it special for us. We were a large family so we didn't get a lot I'm sure. I remember we were all together, warm, and had full tummies.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

**Scattymum** · 12-08-2005, 06:00 PM

I have to say one of my best christmases was also my saddest. It was before I met DH and My Mum and I went to my Nanas for christmas, she had been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks before, it was a very special christmas as we knew it would be her last, we had a very simple day, talked, played cards ( my Nanas big weakness LOL), we had no gifts. Nana passed early in the new year but I will always remember that Christmas as a special Happy time for the three of us.

Other than that I remember when I was around 7 or so and we had a really white christmas , our village got blocked in with snow and everyone was out playing snowballs and building snowmen ( we had some great snowfights with the neighbours LOL). It was just a really fun, happy day

**sunshine** · 12-09-2005, 12:27 AM

Best Christmas--- I was little. . . . small enough to still believe in Santa.

My mom got paid on the 24th-- so dad and mom went to town to buy the Santa gifts, leaving my brother, me and my sister with Grandma and Grandpa.

Shortly, we had a blizzard- and my parents couldn't get home.. . and there sat Grandma and Grandpa with 3 little kids who were expecting Santa that night.

They both stayed up all night-- Grandma raided her fabric stash and made my sister and I dresses (green with gold rick rack trime) and rag dolls with dresses to match ours. Grandpa whittled my brother a rubber band gun.

Then Grandma made fudge, penuche, and divinity to put in our stockings.

My parents got home late in the afternoon on Christmas day with several gifts for all of us (none of which I remember). . . .. and it wasn't until YEARS later that we learned how we nearly missed Christmas.

My best Christmas as an adult was the year my first child was 5 months old. Marty had to work Christmas day, and we were at my parents waiting for him to come home. He came to the door, and I said to Jake "Daddy's here" and he crawled to the door! It was the first time he'd crawled ! What a Christmas gift (we'd been told that he'd never walk, talk or do much of anything due to pregnancy issues and severe premature birth)

**favesis37** · 12-09-2005, 07:03 AM

as a child i am not sure, butas an adult i have had 2. the first ws around 19 years ago, we hd moved away from all family, new only 2 families inteh small town we had moved to. we had gone into a field and cut down our tree, painted pinecones white and blue, used yarn to make bows and had no lights. money ws so tight but hte kdis were littel so i had bought each a gift at th thrift store, christmas morning several neighbors had left gifts onthe porch along with goodies. the kids never knew how tight that christmas was.

the other was just a couple of years ago,my youngest grandson was so sick and in the hospital, and had been for several weeks, we were not sure if he ws going to make it let alone make it home for x mas, we found out a few days before he was going to be home. we were so thankfull

**Darlene** · 12-09-2005, 08:03 AM

Love the stories.

A couple of my fav's~
1. One was when I left my first husband and voluntered to work Christmas so a Mom could be home with her family. I smiled all day knowing they were having a wonderful time together. The look on her face when I told her that I'd work for her is something I'll never forget.

2. All the Christmases dinners I had until I was 13 (& then everythingchanged) where Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts & Uncles, Mom & Dad were all there. Us kids at the kids table putting black olives on our fingers & everyone laughing. It was the best.