Thankfully, there was an unexpected alternative. And having been married for only 6 months, I can’t imagine what our first Christmas would have been like on our own.
It’s a bit scary to think we’d be allowed to live unsupervised by another adult really. When my husband and I got married, we were young. Those were some of the best memories for me as a mom, hearing and seeing them think about it, sometimes for ever (’cause no one wants to go to bed at bedtime.) When we moved several years ago, I finally got rid of them (how do you store that?). We did this for six or seven years and then for some reason, stopped. I saved each year’s chain and attached them all to each other every year. They were very young so we had things like “Dora the Explorer” and “macaroni and cheese” and “rainbows” and, my personal favorite, “butter,” etc.
The first week was easy, but by Christmas they were struggling. Each kid would get a color: green, red, or white (this was so it wasn’t all wishy-washy and I could tell who wrote what), and every night they had to tell me one thing they were thankful for with no repeats during all of advent. When my kids were younger, I got the brilliant idea to do an advent paper chain. In fact, it was one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me. There was a really tense moment as they all looked at me, waiting for my reaction.īut the thing is I know my mother-in-law’s heart and while some might have meant it as a kind of backhanded compliment gift, she really just knew I was drowning and wanted to help. He was worried I would take it as an insult to my housekeeping abilities (which are dismal at best) or as some kind of anti-feminist statement that she felt I should be the one cleaning all the floors. He had told her not to, saying I would be insulted and it would be the worst gift ever coming from a mother-in-law. As soon as I opened it, my husband burst out saying, “You got it for her? I can’t believe you did it!” One Christmas when my kids were all little and I was a very stressed out young mother with three under five, my mother-in-law, who always gives the best, most thoughtful gifts, gave me a Roomba (one of those little robot vacuum cleaner things). It’s become a wonderful tradition and I look forward to it every year!Ĭhristmas morning came, and I unwrapped the ugliest necklace.
#FUNNY CHRISTMAS MEMORIES FULL#
Every year, we choose a few families to bless with a big gift basket full of treats just to let them know we love them. I think it’s where my love for giving gifts was born. (I even got the Hawaiian Barbie I had been dreaming of!) As an adult, it now hits me differently, and I will never ever forget it. My sister and I would sit on the back floor while my brother and other sister would sit in the seats! I guess some families in the neighborhood took notice of us and one Christmas even delivered garbage bags full of presents and stockings and food! I had never seen so many gifts! The presents went halfway up the tree.Īs a kid, I didn’t really understand I was just amazed at all the toys. We had one little five-seater car for the seven of us, and that’s how we got around. To say we were poor when I was a kid is a severe understatement! My dad worked night shift for minimum wage in a jam factory and my mom stayed home with five kids. It was literally the best prep for motherhood! But, of course, I covered up my face and acted like it was amazing. As I tried to get her to give me a hint, she said, “He tried hard.” Christmas morning came, and I unwrapped the ugliest necklace. A coworker told me that he came in during my break to have them wrap the gift he bought me. I worked at the mall at the time, and I remember he came in to say hi and then went off to shop. When I was 18, I had my first “real” boyfriend. Some of Grit and Grace Life‘s staff and writers share their favorite Christmas memories and gifts: It might have made you laugh or even cry, but whether you still physically have it or not, it’s never left your mind. But occasionally, there’s that one gift you never forget. Each Christmas usually arrives with the same lineup of gifts: the big-ticket item you really wanted, some poorly constructed but heartfelt crafts made by your children (macaroni ornaments, anyone?) and the random pairs of socks that someone decided you needed.
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