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Original poster

Worst/Best Christmas's

34 replies

NoEffingWay · 10/12/2024 21:42

This is not a new idea but I'll go first Grin

Best- Christmas when I was a kid, nothing beats waking up and running down the stairs to see what Santa had bought us. None of the stress and all of the chocolate!

Worst- ex-MIL came over, was rude about the house, gave some awful presents, demanded a three course meal be done in 45 minutes so she could go back home to get back to the dog. It was perplexing as she was usually lovely but seemed to have left her manners behind that day!

OP posts:
TheTecknician · 10/12/2024 22:35

Best was 1993. Absolutely nothing went wrong. Zero faults, cock-ups, mistakes, shitty people, weirdos, bad moods. Incredible really.

Worst was one year later. Christmas Eve went badly wrong on account of a few family members' actions, failure to communicate adequately and unrealistic expectations. It was awful. I escaped for some of it but I made up my mind it would be my last Christmas, in the traditional sense. Thirty years later I haven't changed my mind.

Niknakcake · 10/12/2024 22:50

Best was as a child being absolutely floored by the fact there were presents for me to open

worst… bit of a toss up between the year my husband left me and kids (age 1 and 3) on Christmas Eve and then we woke up Christmas morning to them covered head to toe in chicken pox, DD was so poorly woth it she ended up in hospital because of it. Husband was uncontactable as he was spending quality time with his new GF.

second contender is the following year when we were broken into on Christmas Eve while we had gone to the carol service ans they took all the presents and anything else they could find.

Gilead · 10/12/2024 23:34

Best, first Christmas when children were old enough to know what was happening.

Worst, Mother left me out totally one year. Excuse being she couldn’t afford it and as the oldest I should understand. I was 15.
I was 66 last week.

notlisteningwithmother · 10/12/2024 23:39

Best - a childhood Christmas when it snowed overnight on Christmas Eve. I remember waking up early and tiptoeing downstairs to see if stockings by the fireplace had been filled and then stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the snow. I have a photo of us sledging and building a massive snowman.

Worst - first Christmas after my father died and feeling as if we were all just pretending. More recently and less importantly a Christmas when we hosted and the atmosphere was hideously tense for the entire five days. I could almost feel the magic and excitement evaporating by the minute.

MaybeBaby2024 · 10/12/2024 23:44

@Niknakcake 😮 I think you win for the worst Christmas ever. That’s terrible!

AChickenPooAndABiscuit · 15/12/2024 15:16

notlisteningwithmother · 10/12/2024 23:39

Best - a childhood Christmas when it snowed overnight on Christmas Eve. I remember waking up early and tiptoeing downstairs to see if stockings by the fireplace had been filled and then stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the snow. I have a photo of us sledging and building a massive snowman.

Worst - first Christmas after my father died and feeling as if we were all just pretending. More recently and less importantly a Christmas when we hosted and the atmosphere was hideously tense for the entire five days. I could almost feel the magic and excitement evaporating by the minute.

Was that snow in the very early eighties by any chance? I seem to remember that…

Becsim · 15/12/2024 15:18

Best- maybe last Christmas when we found out we were having our surprise 4th baby and the big three were old enough to enjoy everything.

Worst- 2015 when DS was in hospital at 17 days old. Nearly died from pyloric stenosis. Operated on Boxing Day. He dropped from 8lb 7oz to 5lb. We spent Christmas in the hospital. Luckily he’s ok now and is a cheeky 9 year old!

PomandersandRedRibbon · 15/12/2024 15:20

Op if you wanted this to be slightly light hearted maybe ask mnhq to tweak the title because there will be many sadly harrowing tales...

Meadowfinch · 15/12/2024 15:28

Worst Christmas first year with lovely man. He had to work Christmas morning so I planned the meal, whizzed around inthe morning doing all the prep. Bird n the oven, then retreated to a hot bath with a glass of fizz to relax. Lying there I heard a loud click. Came downstairs to a tripped house fuse (the one with the seal that needs an electrician) in a wholly electric house.
I rang every sparkie in the book but everyone had had a drink so no luck.
So no heat, no light, no food, no music or tv. Boyfriend got home to me drowning my sorrows with a box of Hotel Chocolat.

We went to my brother who had to be reminded to feed us. 🙄

Every house since then I have a log burner, camping stove, electric lanterns and plenty of food I can heat up. Seriously self sufficient. 🤗

TheTecknician · 15/12/2024 15:56

AChickenPooAndABiscuit · 15/12/2024 15:16

Was that snow in the very early eighties by any chance? I seem to remember that…

Show quote history

1981 was a white Christmas (in Leeds anyway).

Cantstopthenoise · 15/12/2024 17:04

Best Christmas memories were being excited for Santa coming when I was a kid and opening presents with my family. Now as a parent, making it special for my own daughters and being with my parents where I feel happiest and where my fondest memories of Christmas lie. The Christmas before I moved out of my ex’s house was positive as I was getting the new house sorted and looking forward to new beginnings.

Worst Christmases, my eldest has severe learning disabilities and has never understood Christmas so before I had my youngest I used to feel sad as I thought I would never enjoy Christmas with my own kids the same way as I did when I was a kid. It was always stressful for her being out of her routine and sometimes tempers got frayed (one year I was driven to drink the day after Boxing Day as a result). My Mum says the worst Christmas she remembers when we were kids was when we had no heating and my brother was only 6 weeks old and covered in chicken pox which he caught off me (I was only 4 and in Nursery)

Original poster
NoEffingWay · 15/12/2024 20:08

Re: lightheartedness.

I was in a happy mood when i wrote this but this time last year I was told that DH might die, but he had some lifesaving surgery this year so life has improved. Changed my perspective on life in general, just needed an almost disaster to change my mind about what's important.

This Christmas will hopefully not involve me crying over the Christmas dinner, trying desperately to make things as normal as possible for DS.

Anyway, this is a roundabout way of saying that you can write what you like! Grin

OP posts:
Yourinmyspot · 15/12/2024 20:15

Best definitely my childhood christmases so many happy memories.

Worst the year I had my second of six miscarriages. We’d gone to have our 12 weeks dating scan on 21st December only to find the baby had died sometime after my previous scan 2 weeks earlier. I went in on Christmas Eve to have a d&c and because I was unwell too I had to stay in overnight and have some IV antibiotics. Was shit.

NickMarlow · 15/12/2024 20:19

Worst was when my depression was very bad and I couldn't force myself to enjoy anything, and trying made me feel worse.

Best was the year dd1 was 5 and dd2 was 18 months and took her first steps just before Christmas. They were both angels in the Crib Service on Christmas Eve, then we had picky tea watching The Snowman and The Snowdog. Dd2 spent the whole of Christmas afternoon walking up and down the room pushing her new dolly in its new pram, and dd1 was absolutely thrilled with every present.

Cosycore · 15/12/2024 20:23

Best was a couple of years ago- Christmas Eve was perfect, house was cleaned and roast was made all the food was prepped. Perfect dinner and movie, then bed and amazing day. Great food and company.

worst was when I worked a night shift Christmas Eve, came back to an empty house, a few gifts I’d bought myself and my family couldn’t be bothered to talk to me on the phone. I called them about lunchtime and they said they would call me back. Never did.
Was working the next day, so bed time and then I visited my grandpa which made it all
bearable. That was about 12 years ago now. But still.

PomandersandRedRibbon · 15/12/2024 20:43

@NoEffingWay sure.

Someone did a light hearted one and people had really heartbreaking stories, it's beautiful to share like that but I'm also mindful of what the ops intentions are.

Another year we had a truly hilarious thread about Xmas gone wrong and it was things like aunty's rose went ballistic because someone used the wrong cheese knife and threw it against the door etc which was light hearted and uplifting.

Tortielady · 15/12/2024 21:50

I can't remember any diabolically bad Christmases of either the sitcom variety where people get sloshed and the cat steals the turkey or the really harrowing sort where people's lives fall apart. Our worries tended to involve money or a shortage of it; more money meant a more comfortable holiday, but as my expectations ran to plenty to eat and a stack of books, I wasn't hard to please. I'm still not; all I want for Christmas is books and an indecent amount of cheese 😋

WonderingWanda · 15/12/2024 21:55

Worst was the year I had norovirus. Best is hard to chose. They year I got the A La Carte Kitchen was a good one and the year I got a cabbage patch. Christmas with an 8 week old was a blur. Christmas with preschoolers was magical.

RubyRedBow · 15/12/2024 22:02

Best.. The Christmas I found out I was pregnant. I worked Christmas Day that year aswell as the days before and after but it was one of the most festive years I’ve had.

Worst.. The year I split up with my partner on Christmas Eve. I struggled so much. My family distracted me enough to get through the day but I couldn’t eat all over the holidays and I was going to bed as early as possible. We worked things out but it sticks as my worst Christmas.

Deathraystare · 16/12/2024 16:12

@Niknakcake
Wow, two really shit Christmases.. Hope Karma bit the bum of the thieves (and your ex come to that...)

Deathraystare · 16/12/2024 16:17

I guess the year I had Norovirus although it was rather funny in that my Niece kept coming round with the Roses tin and I could only groan "move on!" And mum getting twittery and begging me to eat something!

Oh and the year I got Covid. I always work over Christmas so that went out the window! Also the first Christmas without Dad and 4 years later Mum.-

I never go to my Brothers for Christmas so I always work.

Best ones were before my Brothers had children and we could stay up playing silly board games. Oh well....

username247 · 16/12/2024 16:25

I think one of the best was a Christmas I spent by myself. It was just really peaceful. Good wine, nice food and some great shows.

Worst is probably when my mum went away and left us with our dad who just sat around drinking and watching TV all over Christmas.

Justploddingonandon · 16/12/2024 16:54

Best, childhood ones racing downstairs to see what Santa had brought.
Worst, DS's first Christmas when we all came down with norovirus.

Wendolino · 16/12/2024 17:24

Best- Christmases as a child, waking up to find "he's been!" and a day of toys, relatives and trifle!
Worst- Just after DM died. I just wanted to hibernate really, but was making the most of it for DC. Widowed FIL was the most tactless man ever and he was seeing a new woman (none of us had met her yet) and he rang DH to say he would be coming to our house for Christmas dinner and bringing new girlfriend. SIL got involved and told him he was an insensitive pig for landing that on us on our first Christmas without my DM. Apparently he didn't understand what the fuss was about.

Incidentally he ended up marrying new woman and she made his life hell

Cynic17 · 16/12/2024 17:26

Best - five years ago, staying in Amsterdam. Christmas morning spent looking at the Vermeers in the Rijksmuseum - absolute bliss.