My train was stopped in the middle of my ride home because of a terrorist attack, I may have missed the last ever chance to celebrate with my great-grandmother because my entire extended family got COVID, my hometown is desperately trying to prevent a huge flood and when i found out that i would be sad and lonely on christmas my muslim friends ghosted me :) So its a mix of some circumstances.
We… May have to close this thread early, I think you won.
Please remember that it is okay to be sad - sometimes it’s literally the only correct response to a situation:-).
Holy shit, where do you live? Sorry to hear about your missed chance to celebrate with your great-grandma.
I was curious too, based on the timing I think they live somewhere in Europe and have family in Germany. There have been attack threats in Cologne
Yea without disclosing anything too specific: I have to drive through cologne to get home. The entire region is having problems with floods, but my city is facing additional complications.
As if the train rides around there aren’t shitty enough as is.
The train ride actually reassured me that moving far away was the right choice. Where I live now the trains are on point and you see beatiful landscapes instead of coal reactors and warehouses while riding them.
Xmas for me was ruined because I found a guy that was robbed and dumped in the middle of nowhere during my drive.
Helping him fucked up my entire days plans and even the little festivities I wanted to take part in but bloody hell who robs someone on Xmas and then leaves them to die? Ofc I had to help.
The intense rain didn’t help. I think I’m ill now.
What the fuck.
Hope you’re both doing alright. I guess one could say something about how helping others is what Christmas is all about or whatever, but seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people.
Good thing you were there to be a decent human being in a shitty situation.
Glad you were there to help at least. I imagine being robbed and murdered and dying in the rain would rank towards the high end of the “worst Christmases ever”. If nothing else today will be one of your more memorable ones.
Thank you for being a good person anyway! Your plans may both have been ruined, but you’re a hero to that guy! You’ll both remember each other for the rest of your lives!
I said above that Christmas is alien to me, but isn’t helping people and doing good the whole ‘spirit of Christmas’ thing? In a sense, you had the most appropriate Christmas even though it wasn’t the most pleasant.
And, of course, you helped save a life. You’re a hero!
my mother. asked her to stop bringing up my rapist in conversation with me. she said “ya know other people have problems too.” Then she went and had holiday lunch at his house. that was before I was set to drive there for christmas, so instead I stayed home and did nothing. Turns out christmas is just a regular day.
Holy shit I’m so sorry. I’d give you all the hugs if I could.
That’s awful I’m so sorry. That’s the kind of betrayal that you just don’t come back from.
Your mother sounds like what specialists would describe as a, and i quote, “massive cunt”
My <1 year old nephew nearly choked to death on a nerf dart. He briefly went unresponsive before the ambulance got there and would probably be dead if both his parents didn’t have medical training.
So I guess it’s not ruined in that he’s still alive and probably okay (still waiting to see if he aspirated anything), but it’s not how you want to spend Christmas! Especially the older siblings watching all this happen.
Wow I’m super glad he’s ok. That could have been so so so much worse
Imagine killing someone with a nerf gun. That’s gotta be a record!
im cpr certified and technically have the knowledge to “save” a choking person as i work a “safety job”. i often wonder if id actually be able to do it in a real situation. shits scary i hope kiddos ok.
The doctors gave him the all clear!
You would.
Instincts kick in and you just do without thinking.
Whew, glad they saved him! Reminds me I used to tell friends with children or that live alone they should have a LifeVac in their home medical kit. Under 100 bucks.
Thanks! I didn’t know this existed.
Humans. Where is my snow?
I too was mad that there was no snow on the ground for Christmas this year. Then I got a blizzard warning on my phone so it might still work out ¯_(ツ)_/¯
You dropped this \
washed up on beaches in Australia
My wife and I have a Christmas tradition (in Germany).
We go swimming in a local river or lake at some point between Christmas eve and new year.
The last 4 years it was always warmer than 10°C during that time. 3 years ago, it was 18°C, which was completely bizarre. We were lying in the sun to dry after our bath in late December.I’m swimming in it! We always have a white Christmas, but this year it’s spectacular. You could already ski (cross country) on the 23rd, since then there’s 20 more centimetres of crispy new snow on top. It’s amazing!
Obviously doesn’t compensate for the heat elsewhere, but it won’t stop me from appreciating what we’ve got!
Californian checking in, never have had a white Christmas 👍
When I first moved to L.A. from Indiana and was opening a bank account, I was chatting with the banker and it turned out she had never seen snow up close! That baffled me, especially when you can see it in the mountains all winter if you just look up.
Western Canada, and this is the brownest Christmas of my life (over half a century.)
Always wanted to go to BC, it seems incredibly beautiful. So sad to hear how noticeable the effects of climate change are there already.
Congratulat- oh, that’s not a pregnancy test. :(
Tbf, it would be more depressing if a positive pregnancy test was the reason christmas was ruined.
True. COVID doesn’t last 9 months.
deleted by creator
Sure. Plus 9 months.
Look at you, short-timer! My daughter is pushing 30, has three kids and can’t afford to move out (divorce and deadbeat dad’s suck).
deleted by creator
All depends on their location
COVID usually only lasts maybe two weeks vs a pregnancy/child lasting 18 years. This is definitely the better deal.
Mazel cough!
Not ruined, but pretty fucking annoying. In laws came for a few weeks to visit for the holidays. We don’t see them as much as we’d like, and its nice. But MIL wants to include her sister too - the deadbeat aunt-in-law boomer who still can’t get her shit together for over 70 years. Whatever - we tolerate it.
Except she fucking shows up sicker than a dog and is hacking non stop. You know the kind of coughs where you can hear gallons of snot being coughed up - ya that. Wtf - I give it one week and we’ll all be miserable with that exact cold/flu/covid whatever the fuck it is. Fucking loser boomer bitch who thinks of nothing but herself. Sigh.
In order of worst to bad…
My cat of 14 years had to be put down, my parents gifted my sister nearly a half million dollars with the reasoning that she needs it more (with the " dont worry, we will even it out later"), my wifes mom semi disowned her ( not sure exactly what this situation is) and wifes dad is playing favorites with step kids.
Well fuck your parents, and I’m sorry about your kitty.
Well fuck your parents
From Alabama?
What the fuck
If it makes you feel better, I’m not expecting half a million of free money at any point!
Sorry about your cat.
My Wife’s Father. I don’t care for him even if he has changed following a letter she wrote to him saying she’d be out of his life if he didn’t. In the past he beat her Mom and put my Wife through constant guilt trips. He honestly has changed a lot since the letter and he does very well with his grand daughter, but I just wanted to be home with my wife and daughter after working 70 hours out of state on a retrofit job. My Wife’s mother and step father will be visiting new years weekend. I just want it to be my family, but my Wife needs the help watching our daughter while I’m gone for work, so I just put up with it like any decent human would.
It’s like a trope. Old men who used to be really shitty fathers and now desperately try to cling on to the image of themselves as the heads of the family even though they will never truly be forgiven for who they used to be, and everyone are kind of afraid that they still are.
It’s sad, it’s painful, and it’s fucking impossible to deal with in a good way.
Israel
The religious fruitcake portion of my family. I’m so tired of listening how they’re afraid of everything. This year it was the horror of how my state legalized weed, abortion, and some Disney movie had “gay stuff” in it and how thats bad because the movie is meant for kids.
Hello my fellow Ohioan
Hello! Hopefully your family dynamic is a little more agreeable for these holidays
deleted by creator
Weed?! Legalized?!? Oh, GOD no!!!
Oof
hope you will feel better soon!
Working in food/retail has completely destroyed all holiday spirit for me entirely.
It doesn’t matter the holiday. Holidays just mean my job gets harder with no extra compensation. The customers are more hostile and aggressive and it’s just an overall shitty time.
And it happens multiple times a year
I don’t love that this happens, but because I was in those trenches for many years I like to make my holiday shopping trips as pleasant as possible for the retail workers. I’ll try to take up as much time with them as I can just shooting the shit and helping them relax a little or giving them knowing looks whenever some asshole engages them.
It’s like on-the-job therapy.
Gaza (with the IDF nearly expanding into Syria) reduced my Christmas spirit to 10⁻⁷ well before today. A second cold in the season (with distinct symptoms different from the first) kept me from the family dinner today.
But my wife was dismissed from a 13-year job as an chief administrator of a medium sized general contractor, having been the boss’ personal assistant above her office duties. He retired, and the new exec is cleaning house (and is making some bad management decisions). So ours is going to be an It’s a Wonderful Life Christmas until we know what our future looks like, and whether we get the good ending or the bad ending.
Update 2023-12-27 Today my wife was hired. It’s a significant pay cut, but it’s working for a nonprofit she believes in serving a good cause (which is way better than the cutthroat construction industry). I anticipate she’ll be happy there and all that’s left to work out is how we’re going to pay a few more bills. So, we’re headed for the good ending.
I’m sorry!
Oof
Do you live in Syria?
Nope. I live in California.
Our cat got a full urinary blockage, so we’ve been at the vet dealing with that. My mom’s horse got colicky, and seems like she’s got twisted guts, so she’s been dealing with that. Dad broke his hip last week, and has developed a foot infection that he can’t deal with properly, so he’s been at the emergency clinic dealing with that. I got socks though, and I’m super jazzed about that. And donated a bunch of money to the food bank, so at least some people can eat today.
Well done for giving despite all the crap you’ve had to deal with. Sorry about all the bad luck. I am also pleased about your socks. Nice socks are far rarer than they should be.
Thanks. It’s been a hell of a year. We went from pretty financially secure in July to basically unable to pay bills in December, and we haven’t changed anything. Then the food bank put out a call that they have 5000 new visitors this year, on top of the 12000 regulars. If we’re in the shit, then everyone below us is deeper in it, and need cash more than we do. Not sure how we’re gonna pay for our little guy though, that set us back two months wages.
