Your Christmas tragedies.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I was going to post this in the thread about Christmas memories from the '70s, but as the title of this thread indicates, it would have brought that thread down quite sharply. So, in keeping with the Thanksgiving Dramas thread, I’m starting this one.

When I was in grade 1, a classmate of mine and his brother got hockey gear for Christmas. They begged their parents to let them try it out on Christmas Day, and the parents gave in (against their better judgement, as we were told later). Long story short, my classmate (Todd Johnson was his name, not to be confused with my very close friend Louis who died in a car accident after grade 6) fell through the ice and either got pneumonia or drowned but not to the point of death. When school started again after New Year’s, he was still lingering in the hospital, so the whole school — the whole community, really — was a flurry of fundraisers. Cupcakes for sale at lunchtime, a donation box at the library, a benefit concert, and who knows what all. I didn’t know him very well, but like all my other classmates, I devoted myself to donating and praying and wishing for him to recover.

He didn’t.

And that was an eye-opener for me. Now, bear in mind that I was only six years old, but I didn’t understand that the fundraising was meant to offset the bills for treatment he’d already gotten. I had this vague sense that if we stopped donating, he wouldn’t get treatment and he’d die, whereas if we did donate, he’d get all the help he needed, recover and come back to school. I think it was actually a lost cause from the moment they pulled him out, but they weren’t going to tell us that.

No, it didn’t spoil future Christmases for me. But in a small way, it’s stayed with me. That bit about how his parents really should have said, “No, you can’t go out on the lake; I know it’s Christmas, but you’ll have to wait”? He who hesitates is sometimes saved. I don’t know what it’s like to lose a child, so I can’t put myself in their shoes, but I imagine it was a long time before they could fully enjoy Christmas.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there. If this thread gets any replies, I’ll post the Christmas Tree Story. If not, well, apologies in advance.

2

No need for apologies. Please post the Christmas Tree Story. Poor Todd, and poor 6-year-old you. :frowning: I have a friend who dreads Boxing Day for similar reasons.

3

My dad died on Christmas Day, when I was nine. Of Lung Cancer (and undetected muscular dystrophy.)

What do I win?

4

My grandmother died Christmas day 1998. I dont know if you’d call it a tragedy, she was 89 and had been bedridden for years. Sad, and of course we miss her, but truthfully she was better off. :frowning:

5

My mother’s bridge partner and her entire family perished in a house fire on Christmas eve. The double-amputee grandmother was found near the door, and the daughter was found with the phone in her hand.

My cousin and her husband died in a horrible accident the day after Christmas. Their son’s back was broken but he survived.

6

Crap, I was going to post about the time my dad left us shortly before Christmas, and we didn’t have ANY Christmas presents, but a neighbor up the street (who we knew by sight only–didn’t even know her name) dropped by on Christmas morning with winter hats and mittens for my brother and I, and a box of groceries for my mom, but nevermind. Maybe it’s too cheerful for this thread. :rolleyes:

7

Um…
::: Hugs? :::

8

My grandma turned up dead on Christams morning, too. And another relative died on Christmas eve. But yeah, you sort of get over it after a while. The Christmas presents for the deceased are quite sad though. What do you do with the thing you picked out special for Grandma and wrapped up all pretty when Grandma won’t be stopping by…ever?

9

I don’t have any sad personal stories, but it does give me pause to think that it’s been nearly a year since the tsunami, and I hardly ever think about it anymore. It’s almost like it didn’t happen, there’s been so much else between then and now - but for those people, even if they don’t celebrate Christmas, it’s still the anniversary of a tragedy on an unimaginable scale.

10

My brother died of AIDS on December 20, 1990. I remember it like it was yesterday, and the holiday season has been bitter-sweet ever since. He was a unique soul, a wonderful person, and I miss him terribly (not to mention that he gave the weirdest, most imaginative, and most personal presents - you never knew what he was going to suprise you with, but you could bet you would say, “Damn, I never even knew that this thing existed, but I can’t live without it!”)

11

My mother did a very dramatic suicide attempt on Christmas Day 1969.

12

I was born in mid-November, a month later, my family spent Christmas day in the hospital because my materal grandmother died.

Twenty years later, her husband (my maternal grandfather) died halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

13

My grandmother, who’d been ill for some time, passed away on the 23rd of December about 11 years ago. About 3 hours after we’d got there to visit. My grandfather later found the Xmas card she’d managed to buy without his knowing.

My dog went into seizures on Xmas eve one or two years later and we had to put him down on Xmas day. I posted more info about this in another thread, but I can’t be arsed to look for it.

14

My SIL’s (BIL’s wife) dad died last year on Christmas Eve. She was just leaving our MIL & FIL’s house to go see him when her stepmom called.

15

My ex was coming back from seeing Santa on the day after Thanksgiving with her parents, grandparents, and sister when the car with her sister, mother, and father slid in the snow onto the railroad tracks. She watched from her grandparents car as her father got her sister out and was trying to get her mom out when the train hit. Mom died instantly, dad was in the hospital for a month, dying on Christmas Eve.

Two holidays at one stroke.

16

Can we rename this The most depressing thread ever?

When I was 7 my Grandfather died on the 22nd. The funeral was on Christmas Eve.

5 years later my other Grandfather died on the 22nd. Funeral on the 24th.

A few years later on the 22nd my Grandmother had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. (She recovered fine and lived with us for several happy years.)

17

My grandfather died on christmas eve 1996. He was 77. Hadn’t been sick a day in his life, well untill the last day - so it was a surprise - but I’m grateful he went quickly.

-Tikster

18

My sympathies to all who replied. I’ll post the Christmas Tree Story later this evening.

19

Our old lady cat died under the Christmas tree in, um, '86 I think. She was about 17.

My niece, who was about 3, didn’t take it very well.

20

My 16 year old cousin was killed by a drunk driver on December 4th 3 years ago.

Then her mother was taken by a scam artist who convinced her that for $10,000 she could speak to her daughter BEYOND THE GRAVE.

sheesh.