What is your most memorable Christmas - good, bad or just different?

[Daisy]

Apart from lots of memories relating to our DSs when they were children we had one Christmas that was very odd.

It was in the early 70s, during the 3-day week when electricity was rationed and people were shopping by candlelight.

We had arranged to go and spend Christmas and New Year with OH's eldest brother and his family who lived in the Bahamas. We were due to fly out on about 20th December, but our flight was cancelled. The next one was on Christmas Day itself. So Christmas Eve found us in a hotel in London. I remember thinking to was rather sad that everybody else seemed to be on their own and would be spending Christmas in such a soulless place. DS1 was 18 months old and DS2 wasn't yet a twinkle in our eyes. There was a bus to Heathrow the next morning, and we arrived to find the whole airport deserted. There was one gate open for our flight which had come from Australia and was going west round the world, and one other going in the opposite direction. We were served 3 Christmas dinners on the flight and had an unscheduled stopover in Bermuda. We arrived at Nassau, late, tired and slightly bewildered, and my Sister-in-law greeted us with "Don't worry, we've saved Christmas dinner for you."

Our two week stay stretched to 4 weeks as flight after flight home was cancelled.

[Gemini]

What an unusual Christmas that was Daisy! And one you will never forget. All those Christmas dinners!

Nothing unusual here as far as I can remember.


The worst was the year DD1 aged 15, and I caught the stomach bug which 3 year old DD3 was just getting over.
Neither of us could eat anything and kept being sick.
I joined the others at the table for dinner but just sipped my water from a nice wine glass. No food. DD1 just stayed in bed! I lost weight that Christmas and remember on New Year's Eve thinking that was the first normal meal I had all Christmas!


The one where I was sore from the breast biopsy, awaiting my surgery in early January, then the whole family went down with Norovirus was a close second! At least I was OK for Christmas Day and Boxing day, before the dreaded bug hit.

[Lizzie48]

I would have been 9 or 10 years old, my eldest brother is 10 years older and was in the army at the time. He was home on leave for Christmas and went off with his friends for a drink in the local pub, my father told him to leave the car at home, which he did. Apparently as the night progressed they all wanted to go to a dance in a local village about 10 miles away, a neighbour of ours put his car keys on the table and told them they could use his car, which they did. I still remember it was a green Ford Zephyr! They were almost there when the car left the road, turned over a few times and ended up in a field. A few of them were injured, DB broke his leg and was taken to the hospital, I can remember my uncle coming to take us to visit on Christmas Day, my poor mother was in such a state, we never got round to having a meal. He was allowed home after a few days then when his leave was done the MP's came with a military ambulance to take him back to the camp, more tears for my poor mother! Maybe that is why I am like I am with Christmas, not really though.

[Daisy]

Gem, how disappointing and frustrating that must have been. It's awful having a tummy bug at the best of times, but not being able to eat your Christmas dinner must have been so disappointing. I remember how low you felt that year you were waiting for your surgery, and awful to have had Norovirus, even if you did manage your Christmas dinner first.

Lizzie, what an awful thing to happen. But back in the day people were much more casual about driving each other's cars, and drink driving was barely a thing. Your poor mum must have been distraught. I hope the neighbour's car wasn't a write off.

I think our worst Christmas was the year we moved house on 21st December. All our furniture and most of our clothes etc had been in storage for 3 months and Christmas preparations were well down our list of priorities. We had a very small, sad-looking tree which we put on an awful table that had been left behind, and put lights on it. We couldn't find any other decorations.

[Lizzie48]

It was a write of Daisy! No seat belts at the time so they were thrown out and lucky to be alive.

[Daisy]

Lizzie, how awful. They were lucky they weren't killed, and cars didn't have the safety features built in that they have now.

[Gemini]

What a traumatic Christmas Lizzie!

Oh it wouldn't be good having to move so close to Christmas Daisy .

We moved into this house on January 8th. The original date was October and it was moved several times. Getting later and later in the year. In the end we and the owner of our house all agreed we did not want to move just before Christmas, so put things on hold. It wasn't her or us that kept changing the dates but someone else in the chain. So we dug our heels in!

[Oma]

Our strange Christmas was when we were supposed to move into this house in the September so we packed everything up and sold furniture , only for the builders to not finish the houses till late December meaning we didn't move in till the 13 th of January,
We had to find and unpack Christmas stuff for a few weeks then re pack it
A almost empty sitting room with a Christmas tree in the corner was very odd 😁

Then there was the one when B had his Bone marrow transplant,
He was supposed to be in hospital for 6 weeks over Christmas so nothing was arranged, then he was allowed home Christmas week

We couldn't go to DDs so she brought Christmas dinner over on plates for us as he was still in isolation at home,

DD recreated Christmas day complete with Christmas tree and gifts in the July ,
We had a wonderful time 😁

[Daisy]

Oma, I remember B being allowed home very quickly after his transplant. He certainly was a wonder boy to be allowed home so quickly, but I'm sure you spent a lot of time constantly making sure everywhere was operating-theatre-clean. It was a lovely idea of your DD's to recreate Christmas in July.

Gem sometimes one person can cause chaos in a house sale chain. Awful, and I think our system needs changing to prevent it happening. I don't blame you for backing off over Christmas.

[Oma]

Daisy I agree it needs changing ,
But our delay was the builders fault .
No away were we moving Christmas week either.

[WeeGranny]

We hired a river boat one Christmas in Oz and had dinner on the deck on the Murray River! We bought everything cooked and ready to serve. Our boat was called the Love Boat, which caused great hilarity wherever we moored! Especially as we had children with us! Happy memories!

[Daisy]

WeeGranny, that was certainly a Christmas to remember. It sounds wonderful.

I agree, moving just a few days before Christmas isn't ideal.

[Oma]

Oh that sounds ideal WG no cooking and a lovely relaxing day ,
Memories to cherish 😍