Christmas without parents...

My parents are getting older and have mentally deteriorated to the point they can’t be trusted to drive themselves anywhere.

I have dreams frequently about this where I wake up crying.

Just sucks but it’s part of life.

quote:

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mentally deteriorated

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It is scary to see someone deteriorate mentally. My mom has gotten worse this year. It has always been common for her to forget something, but she is at the point where she will forget people she has always known.

We had Christmas at her house last weekend and she told us something. We had a quick conversation about it. As we started talking about something else she then says "did I tell yall __________________" and told us what she said 5 mins earlier.

There have been times over the past several months where she has that blank stare as if what was just told to her didn't register or she had no clue what you are talking about, its pretty scary and I am worried it is going to start getting worse quicker and quicker.

My parents are still with us, but my grandmother(mom's mom) passed away in 2020, and its been hard on my mom the last two Christmases.


The Coke commercial where the guy is cooking Christmas dinner, and he is imagining his deceased mother instructing him in the kitchen, and then he turns around when he's done and everyone is about to eat, and she's not there is a real tear jerker.

Lost my mom in August, she was 86, and my brother in November, he was 68. I'm feeling it but not totally miserable. just a bit sad and a bit overwhelmed at times.

Still have my little sister though. And my wife and kids.

The family is getting smaller, especially men. Might get a bunch of baby mamas and have multiple holidays.

This hits home.
Lost my father a few years back but my mother in September this year right before my birthday.
It really tore me up when we were decorating the tree with her old ornaments..

Glad to have awesome in-laws and thats where we are right now.

I was an only child and both parents died five months apart when I was 38. The first Christmas I cried until I fell asleep.
I got on with life. Several years later, happily married, I awoke one morning and said to my husband, "I haven't talked to my parents in a while, I should call them." And then I realized what I had said and the feeling of emptyness came back worse than before. I went outdoors and weeded. It helped.

The first lap of holidays after a parent dies is the hardest is what I was told by many and I agree. This will be my second Christmas without my Dad and my family and I continue to miss him so very much. And while we still miss him…I know this Christmas is one we can truly celebrate.

This is actually the first Christmas in many, many years that I’m actually looking forward to. I didn’t know if I would ever look forward to the holidays again tbh.

Very nice touch in this post, thank you.

Means a lot.

Most of the "experts" recommend doing just that, reacting to a repeated conversation as being the first time. What was really scary about my now deceased MIL was she started getting up in the middle of the night & going outside. One time she started to open her passenger-side door while we were driving on a 4 lane blvd. Be very very patient.