# Favorite Christmas Memory



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Maybe it was that long awaited for present, or maybe it was sharing Christmas with someone special. What has been your favorite Christmas memory?


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Ill never forget opening all the presents 35+ years ago and then listening to dad say "hey boys, there looks to be a couple more presents back there". He pulls out 2 long packages that we knew contained a crossman air rifle for each of us before we even opened em up. 

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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

The anticipation for Christmas morning was killer. Playing board games in our bedrooms at 2 and 3 in the morning because we could not go downstairs until 5ish. 

Every year, we had "Santa Clause" presents out in the open to mess with until we opened presents under the tree after breakfast.

Funny how you can remember something 35+ years ago. One of those was an awesome tractor trailer unit (18 wheeler) called the 'Midnight Roller' that hauled several thousand micro miles (1 mile =1ft) of Lincoln Logs and building blocks around the house and backyard.

In 8th grade, it was a Martin Tiger compound bow.

In early college years, it was a fresh box of #4 steelshot and some quick jump shoot action along the river with that knothead Chessie-Lab cross before breakfast.

I can go on and on...

Merry Christmas to everyone on UWN!


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

Sneaking upstairs with my brother to see what Santa had left at 2 or 3 am. 
Then going back to bed until mom and dad would let us get up at 6 .........
Then acting surprised at what Santa had left. :mrgreen:


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I remember my two older brothers and I would formulate a plan that the first person who woke up, usually around 2 am, would sneak out and check if Santa had stopped by. If he had, the first one would go and wake the others up using a code word - usually something super creative like, “present” “jolly fat man” etc. We all would then sneak out and look at all the presents - which would awaken the sleeping grizzly bear (aka Dad) and most presents were unwrapped before the sun came up! 

One of the more memorable presents was a Benjamin Air Rifle - it was crazy accurate and proved the demise of many magpies, muskrats, starlings, and maybe a couple neighborhood cats ...


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

J.C. Higgins feather weight pump 12 gauge, I can still remember that new gun smell-- MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!~~~


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

On Christmas day 1962 I was twelve years old and under the tree my Dad gave me a Remington Sportsmans 48 12 gage shotgun. Came with the Poly choke barrel and a full choke ventilated rib barrel. I was so proud that my Dad trusted me to have a big boys toy. Still got it.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

In 1973 I was a senior in high school dad gave me a brand new Marlin Golden 39M .22 for Christmas. 
Was my first gun of my own. Loved it, shot the heck out of it for years. 
Still is one of my 3 or 4 go to guns. All 3 of my girls passed hunters safety with it.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

It was a recurring joke year after year with my nieces and nephews, all grade school age and younger, that I was going to wait up on Christmas eve and shoot one of Santa's reindeer so I could steal all his presents. Of course Santa and his reindeer always seemed to elude me much to their delight. 

One year however I came up with a new plan, I had an old antique bear trap that I told them I was going to set by the chimney and try to get a reindeer that way. One of my brothers just happened to fill a cow elk tag earlier that week so I took one of the legs and stuck it in the trap. Christmas morning I burst into the house holding up the trap with the elk leg in it cursing that Santa got away again, that I had ol Donner by the leg but he somehow broke free leaving his leg behind. You should have heard all the screaming and bawling. 

My nieces and nephews are all in their 30's and 40's now with families of their own, but they still relive the trauma of the year mean old uncle Kev caught poor Donner by the leg.....or how he used to sing "Donner the three legged reindeer." I don't think I've ever been forgiven......8)


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I've received a lot of great gifts over the years but the "ONE" Christmas I hope I never forget is when I was 9. 
I was living with my half brother and single mother at the time and I had no idea who my father was(still don't).
We lived on food stamps and my mother was both an alcoholic and drug addict. She had overdosed several times and had to be taken away in an ambulance on a few occasions. Leaving my brother and me wondering if we'd see her again. 
We had very little in those early years but on that Christmas Eve, a stranger dressed like Santa, knocked on our door and had a huge bag of food for us. I think that was the first time that I had "Kraft" macaroni and cheese. I sure felt pretty special and quite the big shot for a few days.
As an adult, I've tried to pay it forward and give a little to a few needy families when I can.
If any of you can help a family in need next year, you'll be amazed how that type of memory can stick with a guy for decades and you can make a difference. 
The next year the state of Utah found my mother unfit to support us and my brother and I were looking at foster care as our next home until my grandparents rescued us and became our legal guardians.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

ridgetop said:


> I've received a lot of great gifts over the years but the "ONE" Christmas I hope I never forget is when I was 9.
> I was living with my half brother and single mother at the time and I had no idea who my father was(still don't).
> We lived on food stamps and my mother was both an alcoholic and drug addict. She had overdosed several times and had to be taken away in an ambulance on a few occasions. Leaving my brother and me wondering if we'd see her again.
> We had very little in those early years but on that Christmas Eve, a stranger dressed like Santa, knocked on our door and had a huge bag of food for us. I think that was the first time that I had "Kraft" macaroni and cheese. I sure felt pretty special and quite the big shot for a few days.
> ...


Love your story Ridge. When I was in junior high, I was on the other side of this one. My Dad always found a family that needed a little help from Santa. I remember one family in particular. They lived just out of town, in a beat up single wide. We filled a couple boxes with food, and Dad had us go shopping for the kids. We picked out brand new pants, shirt and a coat for each of the 4 kids - something they never saw. And we picked out a couple of toys and games for them as well. We ding-dong-ditched the Christmas stash on their front step. Nothing more was ever said, and nothing ever admitted.

At my Dad's funeral 8 years ago,I spoke of that great lesson I'd learned from my Dad in the eulogy. After the funeral service, the son from the family, whom I'd not seen in 30 years, came and talked with me. He said "Was that my family you talked about?" I just smiled and we shared a tear or two. Last summer, I was able to join their family at a family gathering in Idaho. The father of the family didn't recognize me but once I introduced myself, he just hugged me. He kept saying "I know it was your family that helped us." We got a quiet moment and he just hugged me again and he broke down and started to cry as he expressed how hard it had been for his family. They had nothing for Christmas. No food. No presents. Just 4 kids in a single wide, and literally, had no idea where the next meal was coming from. More tears were shed by both of us. He expressed gratitude for my Dad, and his insight for their needs.

That was 35+ years ago. I can't remember any gift I received that year. But I can sure remember what what my Dad gave me that year.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I have not told this story to very many people, but it's been close to 20 years ago now and the stories by Ridgetop and Garyfish are inspiring.

As my kids grew up they had both sets of grandparents in town so Christmas morning the living room always looked like Walmart threw up in there.

When my two daughters, one in high school and one in junior high had these two friends who were sisters and the friends had two younger brothers about 8 and 10 years old. My daughters came to me and my wife and asked if they could give up their Christmas and give it to this family since in talking to their friends found out that they had never really had a Christmas like my kids were used to. The lived in a single wide in a trailer court and the father and mother just did odd jobs and lived by quite meager means.
I told them it would be great but I needed to talk to the mother and father to get their ok first. They approved and we had them come to our house for Christmas.

I let my daughters do the whole thing with my wife supervising. My daughters had more fun that year than before or after buying and wrapping gifts and preparing for the day.

It was a lot of fun for me seeing my daughters pass out gifts and seeing the amazement in their friends eyes and especially the young boys. My greatest gift was to have my spoiled little girls giving up their Christmas for this other family. They moved out of state the following year and I don't have any idea what happened to the family but I do know what happened to my daughters and they are great women to this day.

It was great to have both my daughters and grand kids at the house this Christmas.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

3arabians said:


> Ill never forget opening all the presents 35+ years ago and then listening to dad say "hey boys, there looks to be a couple more presents back there". He pulls out 2 long packages that we knew contained a crossman air rifle for each of us before we even opened em up.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


My grandpa gave me a pump Crossman when I was 11. I literally killed thousands of birds with that thing until the air seal wore out. My record was 135 starlings in one day.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

ridgetop said:


> My grandpa gave me a pump Crossman when I was 11. I literally killed thousands of birds with that thing until the air seal wore out. My record was 135 starlings in one day.


135 starlings in a day!? God bless you Ridgetop!! That right there deserves some serious cred points!!

My bro and I walked the streets of our neighborhood killing all sorts of birds after we got ours. That was until the city came up with all their rules. Starlings were a prized trophy. They sat high on powerlines and were small. Hard to hit for a high strung 10 year old. Magpies were a 350 bull back in those days. Good times!

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