Biggest Christmas Disappointment
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
November 15, 2008 11:16am CST
What was your most disappointing Christmas ever?
Mine was when I was 20 years old, my son was 3. I was still living at home with my real mother. I'd just gotten out of a horrible relationship a week before Christmas. The guy I broke up with became spiteful and tried to have my son taken away from me, which didn't work. He also killed my car, the entire engine blew up. Without a car I had no way to work since I was doing delivery work at the time. I hadn't bought any gifts for my son yet for Christmas, and I also had a younger brother, 11, and a sister, 6 that I hadn't gotten gifts for yet. My mother wasn't working, she had eye problems and was declared legally blind, so lived on disablity. Needless to say we were broke! With my last paycheck I bought 1 gift for my son, and 1 each for my brother and sister. My mother got most of the gifts for my siblings from catholic charities, and her brother gave them stuff as well, but nothing for me or my son. None of this was the real problem, this is all just leading up to the problem.
That year I had contacted my foster mom for the first time in 4 years. We'd had a falling out when I was 16, and hadn't spoken to each other. Since we were back on good terms, she wanted to make up for all the Christmases and birthdays she'd missed. She probably spent close to $1000 on my son for Christmas, and even though she didn't have to, she bought gifts for my brother and sister as well. Also all her friends that we were close to but hadn't seen in 4 years also bought things for my son. They brought them all over and I put them under the tree Christmas Eve for him to open the next morning. I swear the entire room was full of gifts for him!
So that morning the kids are opening thier presents. I am excited for my son, even my sister was oohing and ahing over the gifts he got. But my mother was being the surliest B**** you could imagine. She wouldn't stop complaining about how his gifts were so big and expensive, and her kids got stuff they didn't even like. I was so angry that she didn't appreciate the fact that I didn't have to get my siblings anything, my foster mom hardly knew my siblings, and she didn't have to get them anything. My mom's friends got nothing for me or my son and I didn't complain, nor did I care. I was angry my mother didn't see that. All she wanted to do was be jealous that my son got a great Christmas, but for me, it was ruined by my mother's attitude. She only made things worse by not letting him play with his toys, because they were noisy. Since we lived in her house, I had no choice but to not let my son play with his toys.
To date, that is the worst Christmas I've ever had. What's yours?
3 people like this
6 responses
@camomom (7535)
• United States
15 Nov 08
I have always spent Christmas with my sister and her family ever since I moved out of my mom's house. No excuses, we always spent Christmas together. Until 2005, when I split with my husband. We split up in June and I was immediately in a relationship with my fiance. I found out that I was pregnant in October and didn't tell my family until November because of it being a hard situation. They loved my ex and didn't know my fiance yet. They just assumed I had left my husband for my fiance without knowing for sure. Anyhow to make a long confusing story short, I was not invited to her house for Christmas and she refused to come to mine. She didn't want to spent the holidays with someone that wasn't family (my fiance). Since I was pregnant with his child, I considered him family and thought that they should accept that. On Christmas day I called her and my Ex was spending Christmas with them in my place. He was playing with the toys that I had sent to my nephew in my place. I later found out that he had also spent Thanksgiving with them and that's why I wasn't invited for that either. Everyone just assumed that I was the bad guy in the situation when in actuality it was him. They still don't see it. I guess you really don't know a person until you live with them and they never had to live with him. The horrible part is that I get reminded of it every year by her. The second worse part, when we were together we fought every holiday, every year, because he never wanted to spend holidays with my family. My sister lives 2 hours away so I only got to see her on the holidays and my mom lives 7 hours away. His mom lived across the street and his sister lived 10 minutes away. He could have seen them everyday if he want to but chose not to but I never got to see my family and wasn't allowed to. We split up and all of a sudden my family was more important to him and he ws more important to them. I still don't do holidays with my sister very often because of it.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
15 Nov 08
This reminds me of my first Christmas with my husband... exactly a year after the one I spoke of above. We'd moved in together and gotten our own place in September of that year. His sister had just gotten married that June or July. She had this huge expensive house, and wanted to show off her money. She invited us all over there, and all her in laws would be there too. I hadn't met her in laws, I'd only met her and her husband once, maybe twice at that point. My husband didn't care for her FIL. Plus his parents wanted a traditional Christmas at their house. I had no problem with that because I knew them, and knew they'd be allright around my extremely hyper son. I didn't feel comfortable bringing my son around a bunch of strangers who may not accept a hyper child. So we were put in the middle of this huge family fight.
One day his sister called him and told him he was ruining Christmas because we wouldn't go over there. He explained that I didn't want to bring my son around strangers, and she flipped out. She said to him "Well I'm married, and you're not. So my husband's parents are more family to you than she and her son are"
We did dinner at his parents on Christmas Eve, then did Christmas day alone while his parents went to her house. We didn't speak to her until May when she just suddently showed up at my birthday party.
BTW, she divorced about 2 years ago and moved in with some new guy. We haven't seen her since Christmas 2 years ago when she brought her new boyfriend over.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
16 Nov 08
Not really similar I guess... it just reminded me of it that's all.
@1grnthmb (2055)
• United States
15 Nov 08
That sounds like a really bad experience. I have also had several really down Christmases. The worst one being the first year that I went to College. Even though I lived in the same town as both my Grandparents and two uncles they were all busy and did not invite me to be with them. My sister was supposed to come visit me but something came up and she did not come. My parents had just opened their Hallmark Card store and the day before and the day after were their busiest days. The restaurant that I was working for had closed for the whole month to remodel so I was broke and could not afford to go anywhere. I spent Christmas eve at a pizza parlor by myself and had left over pizza on Christmas day. Oh Joy. That was really one to celebrate.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
16 Nov 08
That's sad. I've never really spent a Christmas alone, but the years I lived with my real mother weren't so great. We were always broke and it was just us, no other family.
Even now with hubby and kids, I don't feel like it's really a special holiday unless we have someone else around. Last year I was so mad at his parents, but on Christmas day I broke down and invited them over so it would feel like a special holiday and not just another day.
@mssnow (9484)
• United States
15 Nov 08
I love christmas so its kinda hard for me to be disappointed but i think my biggest disappointed was the year i was pregnant with my youngest son. Everyone in my family drew names and so we each would buy a present for the person who we drew their name. My husbands ubcle got my name and he asked my husband what i wanted for christmas. So my husband asked me and I told him i wanted some snow boots . So i could walk outside in the snow without slipping. So christmas morning came and i really thought i would get those boots because of what was said. I opened my present from his uncle and it was some clothes for the baby to be. I was happy they thought of my baby but to me it was a present for my baby and not really for me. I did thank him but was still a bit disappointed. I never did get my snow boots lol.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
15 Nov 08
I could see so many things wrong with picking names like that. I know it saves everyone some money only having to buy for 1 person instead of everyone in the family, but you always take chances that the person who buys for you is going to get something awful that you won't appreciate. It would be different if you were getting gifts from a lot of people... so one or two are bad gifts, no big deal. But if that's the only gift you get, it would be best if it were something nice.
1 person likes this
@xlinzixx (510)
•
16 Nov 08
when was when i was 10 and my mam was pregnant with my little sister and she got rushed into hospital on christmas eve because they thought their was complications.and when i got up on christmas morning she still wasnt there so i sat and waited until 1pm for her to get home to open my presents and luckily her and my little sister were fine :).
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
15 Nov 08
There was one Christmas that we didn't really even celebrate. There were no gifts except for the ones that we had purchased for others early in the season. Our first baby was stillborn at almost 34 weeks at the end of November. We were in mourning for a long time and December of that year was filled with mostly weeping. I was not able to celebrate with family and friends that year. I don't even remember what we did on the actual day.
I have to add that I appreciate any time, any gifts, any family member, any laughs, any get-together etc. so much more now than I ever would have before. God is good. He helps me to count my blessings everyday. Two of the greatest ones are my son and daughter. Blessings!
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
15 Nov 08
That must have been an awful year, I can't even imagine. I'm glad things are better for you now and that you were blessed with your children.
1 person likes this
@mdesigning (345)
• Netherlands
16 Nov 08
Usualy Christmas is also fun over here. Enjoying to spend time with your family and you eat together (we barely do that). Have some candles for the sphere. I think my worst Christmas was when my whole family and all my friends were on holiday and I was home alone. That was really boring and not really too much fun. I still was with my dog, but honestly that doesn't make you too happy because they can't talk really. I'm getting that same Christmas this year again. Although this time also my brother stays home.
1 person likes this
