# What to get my father for his last Christmas...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 16, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380 "2011-12-16T04:33:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380/21 "2011-12-19T04:38:58Z")

</div>

If I were dying, all I would want from my son is a letter. Humor me. Tell me I was great. Tell me your favorite memory. Tell me it’ll all be okay.

Yeah. Do that.

(And buy him some comfortable bed linens. If you’re going to live/die in your bed, make it good. I’m getting my grandma new feather pillows and memory foam ones as well.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380/22 "2011-12-29T07:48:32Z")

</div>

Thank you, everyone.

I haven’t checked in here for a while, as I’ve been at the hospital most of the time. Dealing with my father’s illness hasn’t been quite as painful as watching my poor, depressed, wonderful mother go through this. We are making sure she eats, showers, and gets through the day, but it’s hard. Having been with my girlfriend for nearly two years, and being so madly in love that it almost hurts, it’s very hard to imagine what it must be like, being together 22.5 times as long…

I’d like to thank you all for these suggestions. As it happens, we found out on Christmas night that he only has several days left. I’m home for a few hours, and just wanted to thank those of you who tried to help out.

It’s appreciated, it truly is. Thanks, fellow dopers. This cynic has found a bit of hope in humanity…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380/23 "2011-12-29T08:05:38Z")

</div>

I’m so sorry to hear this. I’m wishing you and your mother, especially, strength to get through this.  
One last word of advice: if your mother is having trouble remembering to care for herself, now, please try to find some way to be able to care for her for a bit after your father passes. Especially if her whole life, now, is revolving around him and his illness, when that’s gone she sounds prime to want to fall into bed and ignore herself and the world even more.

Don’t interfere with her grieving, but continuing to eat and care for herself on a regular basis may be even more difficult for her, then.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-get-my-father-for-his-last-christmas/606380.md?page=1)