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Message
Tell me about your childhood Christmas
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:27 am
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:27 am
Mine was pretty rigid. 3 distinct events every year:
Christmas Eve - Grandparent's house, my crazy uncle would get into a fight with my grandmother and I learned years later why; he was always trying to spike the eggnog in the punch bowl
and my grandmother wasn't having any part of it.
My grandmother would make us sit down a few weeks before Christmas and fold Reader's Digests that she would then spray paint to make little Santas
Of course she had this which little CAD thought was the coolest thing ever
We would eat, all file into the 'formal den' (which was never used any other day) and sit quietly until Grandmother made her entrance and then she would slowly and painfully hand out presents over the next hour.
The evening ended with a visit to the family room where we had massive stockings waiting filled with random coins, nuts still in the shell and the occasional gold chocolate coin.
The next morning was REAL Christmas and you knew Santa came because a bunch of unwrapped presents appeared that weren't there the night before Absolutely great memories of dad bringing in the firewood and getting a roaring fire going even if it was 50 degrees outside.
Finally, the capper...HOWARD GRIFFIN HALF PRICE DAY-AFTER-CHRISTMAS sale. Holy moly this was the absolute best! I cherished the checks we were given by random aunts and uncles we had never met and pooled all the money together to blow it all...
There was usually a line that stretched all the way to the Monroe courthouse and when they opened the doors, everyone went nuts. I particularly remember getting my hands on a Mattel Electronic Football game and pimp-daddy chemistry set but it seems like in those days, every single shelf in that entire store was filled with things I wanted badly.
Pretty much rinse-lather-repeat until I was like 15 years old.
To me, those years felt longer than my entire life since.
Christmas Eve - Grandparent's house, my crazy uncle would get into a fight with my grandmother and I learned years later why; he was always trying to spike the eggnog in the punch bowl
and my grandmother wasn't having any part of it. My grandmother would make us sit down a few weeks before Christmas and fold Reader's Digests that she would then spray paint to make little Santas
Of course she had this which little CAD thought was the coolest thing ever
We would eat, all file into the 'formal den' (which was never used any other day) and sit quietly until Grandmother made her entrance and then she would slowly and painfully hand out presents over the next hour.
The evening ended with a visit to the family room where we had massive stockings waiting filled with random coins, nuts still in the shell and the occasional gold chocolate coin.
The next morning was REAL Christmas and you knew Santa came because a bunch of unwrapped presents appeared that weren't there the night before
Absolutely great memories of dad bringing in the firewood and getting a roaring fire going even if it was 50 degrees outside. Finally, the capper...HOWARD GRIFFIN HALF PRICE DAY-AFTER-CHRISTMAS sale. Holy moly this was the absolute best! I cherished the checks we were given by random aunts and uncles we had never met and pooled all the money together to blow it all...
There was usually a line that stretched all the way to the Monroe courthouse and when they opened the doors, everyone went nuts. I particularly remember getting my hands on a Mattel Electronic Football game and pimp-daddy chemistry set but it seems like in those days, every single shelf in that entire store was filled with things I wanted badly.
Pretty much rinse-lather-repeat until I was like 15 years old.
To me, those years felt longer than my entire life since.
31
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:29 am to CAD703X
We didnt celebrate it, until my teens.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:32 am to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
We didnt celebrate it, until my teens.
quote:
RogerTheShrubber
That explains a lot of your fricked-up-edness
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:33 am to TygerTyger
quote:
That explains a lot of your fricked-up-edness
Yes, if you dont belong to the hive mind, youre "fricked up" according to the basic bitch
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:34 am to CAD703X
Well, my parents were going through a very messy and violent divorce when I was 3. The only Christmas memory I have for that year was my dad raging in the living room about god knows what, and throwing the Christmas tree through the big window in the front of the house and leaving.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:35 am to CAD703X
It was great. Grandparents always came down from Jackson. Did the presents and my mother and Grandmother always cooked a great meal. Mr Walter imahara was our neighbor. He's come over in the morning. He had no kids so he got a kick out of it. Really did. Love to ham it up shooting pictures for us. Fun.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:35 am to CAD703X
Christmas Eve at my aunts for a night of eating, drinking and fighting at the end of the night. Christmas Day, and after church and opening presents, it’s off to grandma’s house for the day, and then to family friends to visit. Finally home at dark to play with my toys. Lots of road time.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:39 am to CAD703X
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:39 am to CAD703X
Christmas Eve we always hit my maternal grandmother’s for gift exchange, then hit my aunt’s, dad’s sister, house for gift exchange, it was awesome, Christmas morning, my paternal grandfather always came over in the morning to see us open gifts, he loved that stuff.
We later hit my paternal grandparents house for Christmas dinner. We had an uncle who left cash for us under our plates in an envelope, always a blast opening those.
We later hit my paternal grandparents house for Christmas dinner. We had an uncle who left cash for us under our plates in an envelope, always a blast opening those.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:44 am to CAD703X
Got a Dallas Cowboys/Tony Dorsett BMX once - that was rad.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 8:58 am to PCRammer
i forgot that usually around 9-10am on Christmas morning all the kids in the neighborhood were starting to make their way outdoors with bikes, go-karts, footballs, RC cars & planes, hula hoops, etc.
that was always so much fun as well; the neighborhood i grew up in was infested with kids the same age. we didn't know how good we had it and took it all for granted that it would be that way forever.
eta and there was always that sunovabitch kid who got a gas-powered RC car that blew everyone else away i can still smell the 'fuel' from an RC plane i got one time that was 'gas' powered and sitting there in the driveway trying to spin that prop to get it running.
that was always so much fun as well; the neighborhood i grew up in was infested with kids the same age. we didn't know how good we had it and took it all for granted that it would be that way forever.
eta and there was always that sunovabitch kid who got a gas-powered RC car that blew everyone else away
i can still smell the 'fuel' from an RC plane i got one time that was 'gas' powered and sitting there in the driveway trying to spin that prop to get it running. This post was edited on 12/11/25 at 9:02 am
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:01 am to CAD703X
Dad was in the Air Force until I was 16. When I was 4 we moved to Elgin AFB (Ft Walton Beach) in Florida. Dad’s family was in North Alabama and Mom’s was in Louisiana, so we would travel to one or the other. For some reason the thing that sticks in my mind is a hard shell plastic car top carrier that would hold our luggage and gifts.
Not specific to Christmas, but I remember a couple things about those trips. No matter when we left, there was always a large thermos full of hot coffee. The kind with the cup that doubled as a cover for the screw-off top. That thermos got dad through many hours of driving. Also- roadside picnics. There were not as many fast food places then so we would pack sandwiches and chips and take a break at a rest area. Those were good trips.
Somehow, Santa always knew where we were going to be. I guess the military helps their families by letting Santa know where they will be for Christmas since there is a lot of travel during the holidays for military families.
One year I was left home by myself for a few hours (relax, it was the 70s). I oh so carefully took my presents that were wrapped under the tree and opened them, being careful to not tear anything. I saw what was there and carefully rewrapped everything. Nobody ever knew anything was amiss, until the guilt got to me. I confessed. That Christmas wasn’t quite as fun because I knew what the presents were before I opened them. Funny thing- I don’t remember what was in them now.
One more thing- we got assigned to a base in England when I was 10. Those Christmases were different because we weren’t able to be with family. We celebrated with our AF family and friends those years and got to learn about Wnglish Christmas traditions. Those were good years.
Sorry for the lengthy post but you unlocked all these memories and feelings with this simple post. Thank you. Mom and Dad are both gone now so I don’t have as many opportunities to think about those times. Forgive me my ramblings.
Not specific to Christmas, but I remember a couple things about those trips. No matter when we left, there was always a large thermos full of hot coffee. The kind with the cup that doubled as a cover for the screw-off top. That thermos got dad through many hours of driving. Also- roadside picnics. There were not as many fast food places then so we would pack sandwiches and chips and take a break at a rest area. Those were good trips.
Somehow, Santa always knew where we were going to be. I guess the military helps their families by letting Santa know where they will be for Christmas since there is a lot of travel during the holidays for military families.
One year I was left home by myself for a few hours (relax, it was the 70s). I oh so carefully took my presents that were wrapped under the tree and opened them, being careful to not tear anything. I saw what was there and carefully rewrapped everything. Nobody ever knew anything was amiss, until the guilt got to me. I confessed. That Christmas wasn’t quite as fun because I knew what the presents were before I opened them. Funny thing- I don’t remember what was in them now.
One more thing- we got assigned to a base in England when I was 10. Those Christmases were different because we weren’t able to be with family. We celebrated with our AF family and friends those years and got to learn about Wnglish Christmas traditions. Those were good years.
Sorry for the lengthy post but you unlocked all these memories and feelings with this simple post. Thank you. Mom and Dad are both gone now so I don’t have as many opportunities to think about those times. Forgive me my ramblings.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:03 am to BR Tiger
quote:
Sorry for the lengthy post but you unlocked all these memories and feelings with this simple post.
thats what december is for, baw. remembering the things that made us who we are today.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:05 am to CAD703X
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:07 am to CAD703X
quote:
there was always that sunovabitch kid who got a gas-powered RC car that blew everyone else awa
I bet I asked for a Grasshopper RC every year between the ages of 8-15. But we were poor so never got one. Buts lets be honest, those things were like $200 in the 80's, so it wasn't accessible by a lot of families.
Now I'm thinking at 53 maybe I should finally get one
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:07 am to PCRammer
quote:
Tony Dorsett
Married a woman who went to LSU
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:11 am to CAD703X
Items from Sears and JCPenney catalogs as far as the eye could see.
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:15 am to BR Tiger
quote:
Also- roadside picnics. There were not as many fast food places then so we would pack sandwiches and chips and take a break at a rest area. Those were good trips.
These were a staple with my family. For some reason those sandwiches my grandmother made just hit different on those trips. We had some traditional spots we would always hit when we traveled.
As a kid I was always pissed we couldn’t stop at McDonald’s for lunch but niw I’d give anything to relive those picnics. All my grandparents have passed. Those were extremely underrated moments I had as a kid.
Also taught me how important grandparents are/were. My kids current grandparents aren’t what mine were and that disappoints me. Thanks boomer generation
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:16 am to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Yes, if you dont belong to the hive mind, youre "fricked up" according to the basic bitch
You’re right Rog, Christmas is just hive mind pussy shite
I call you out, but know I do truly feel sorry for you. Something traumatic must have happened that you just can overcome
Posted on 12/11/25 at 9:17 am to CAD703X
Mine is one my grandmas made in a ceramics class
I also have a wooden Rudolph that is made of wood from my Grandparents
Need to get a pic of it, it was the 1st thing I claimed when we were cleaning out their house
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