Jump to content

Best holiday memory


UpperWestside

Recommended Posts

27 minutes ago, Buffsoldier said:

My daughter has been through some shit she has no fault in, no input into and no way of avoiding.  A few years back, as my divorce was just beginning I started a new tradition with her.  Every year we dressed to the nines, and we will go see The Nutcracker at the Ellie Caulkins Opera house in Denver, followed by a really nice dinner at a very nice/fancy restaurant. 

Just got home 2 hours ago from this year's extravaganza.  We giggled, and made jokes, we talked and talked, and then giggled some more, we got caught up in the magic and wonderment of Christmas, we watched a really good ballet, we giggled again, we ate like Kings/Queens, we giggled again, we went through one hell of a sugar rush, and then crashed out HARD less than 3 minutes after walking in the front door.  Watching her with her little mouth agape while being caught up in the whimsy of the ballet, and seeing her hands involuntarily moving in artistic circles like she was directing the orchestra itself was absolute magic to me.

Christmas long ago stopped being about the magic for myself.  9 years ago it started being about MAKING the magic for her, which of course directly translates into it being magic for me.  What comes around goes around and all that.  Tonight I was blessed again to be able to make some of that magic for her and with her.

I pray to God that when the Alzheimers, or dementia, or whatever else comes to take my mind from me, that the last memory to leave me is the memory of tonight with my little girl. 

80805195_10222014415253657_4367876719491

Wow that's such an amazingly beautiful memory you made. Thanks for sharing that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Yes it is, and I have that same Texaco die cast airplane bank in the picture. 

Got 5 other models too.  Dad worked for Texaco for nearly 30 yrs.  He was as loyal a company man as ever there was, and collected ton of gas station memorabilia. When he passed I inherited most of it,  Between that and having an Aerospace Engineering degree, seemed like a natural for house decor.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That post by Buff Soldier might as well just shut down the thread.  Priceless...

My favorite holiday memory is as a 5year old in Denver, it snowed like a bitch Christmas Eve. My two older brothers and I were up before Mom & Dad and ready to rip open some presents.  Mom & Dad finally got up around 7AM and  told my oldest bro, 14 at the time to go get the dog dish out of the back yard so we could feed the dog. He came back in with the dish from the back porch with nothing to say. Then they sent my middle brother, 10 years old; to get the water dish. 

" How deep was the snow?" 

"about a foot" 

"did ya see anything?"

" yeah, snow."

By then our parents were losing it( laughing inside) and told us to go outside and take a lap in the backyard.  We were like, "WTF?  in the snow?" We go outside and there is a brand new trampoline from our grandfather in Texas.  The profile made it virtually invisible in the snow.  That was my favorite present ever, but the memory is lagniapped by the way my folks had to send us all outside to finally discover it.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somewhere around 96-98 I got my mom a picture for christmas. It's a Picasso print of a mother and infant. I thought it looked like something she'd like and she really loved it. She passed away in 2007 and my dad allowed me to take the picture home. It hangs in my living room and will do so until I'm gone as well. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just moved to Dubai. The kids were 5 and 2. They were scared Santa would not know where we were. My boss, really a mentor and second father, secretly ordered a Santa suit and showed up at my house with presents for them and a bottle of bourbon for me. Kids were starting to fall asleep when he showed up and it made their night. We had invited quite a few Filipino friends over and he had something small for all of them. So many people away from their families and he brought Christmas to them. 

 

Merry Christmas Surly, glad to be part of the community. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good stuff, y'all.  Dusty as hell.  'Specially Buffsoldier.

I've spent more time with my kids this Christmas than anytime since 2008 (to explain why, here are 10 words: Divorce, Sobriety, Borderline Personality Disorder, Chamberlain, Hitler, Munich Treaty, Sudetenland).

Both kids were able to attend my side of the family's Christmas this year, at my first cousins house.  @Trey3216 he's good friends with our mutual friend.

When my ex and I split in 2009 and the psychological warfare started, I knew that time was on my side, that eventually the kids would gravitate towards the parent that treated them with unconditional love and kindness.  It took both of them going away to college and escaping toxic codependency, but it's happened.

This morning I drove my daughter to Hobby to fly to Chicago to spend new year's with her sorority sisters and walked her to the security line because I wanted to spend every available moment with her.  She hugged me tight for 2 minutes and told me this was her best Christmas ever.  And my son is headed back from an out of town wedding to spend the rest of his winter break with his stepmom and me.

Enough of the dust. . .my parents were creative. One year the only thing "santa" brought was an elegantly wrapped box of rocks.  When we got to the stockings, there was a red apple with a bite taken out of it, which of course made my parents laugh before bringing out the Apple IIc.  I was a spoiled little shit.

Edited by BearSchlong
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great stories from all! This is the last year with my daughter before she graduates and heads off to the East Coast for college.Since the divorce (she chooses not to spend holidays with her mom) we have always gone on a road trip somewhere. My son (in college, divorced when he was a freshman) decided the best way to not deal with his mom over the holidays was find a reason to go visit friends somewhere. Sucked, but I understood. This year  I asked her what she wanted to do.

We watched the Simpsons marathon, cooked great dinners, and just hung out with each other making it a goal to go get tacos for lunch somewhere different everyday. It does not take much, but the time matters so much. Oh, and I introduced her to Drambouie. :)

Happy Holidays to all! 


 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...