December 21, 2001    
begin

write

look

learn

find

What is the 'strangest' holiday you ever spent...doing what?

I remember one very surreal winter holiday with both my toddlers and I were very, very ill with an intestinal flu. They had moments of delight, followed by moments of sickness and then slumber. Their father stayed at his mother's so he wouldn't get sick.

Jill, 60
Saylorsburg
, PA  USA

A very close relative died the day after Christmas. The days before and after were hellish.

Laura, 36
Lowell
, MA   USA

I don't believe I've ever had a really "strange" holiday...well, actually, when I was 13, my family lived in Charleston, SC and we went to visit my grandparents and spend Christmas with them (they lived 2 hrs away). Christmas night, when we got home, there was no food in the house cuz we hadn't gone shopping since we were going to be out of town. We ended up eating dinner at the Huddle House. I guess that would be the "strangest" thing.

Angela, 18
Bella Vista
, AR  USA

To my recollection ive never had an unusual holiday. I lead a dull life.

Talia, 24
Wilton
, CT   USA

I think the strangest Christmas for me was the last one spent with my mom before she passed away. We knew she was not going to be with us the following year and there was a real eerieness about the entire day; not an outwardly morbid mood, but there was a sadness in the air. That was a very strange type of Christmas.

Fisch, 46
Preston
, CT   USA

Well, there was the time we went to San Fransisco for Christmas, and accidentally left all the presents at home. Ah well, accidents happen. Besides, we had a good time. I love the ocean, and that was the best Christmas I had had for a while.

Derya

Five years ago, both my family and my best friend and her family had had a lousy year. So for New Year'sEve we decided to have a party at her apartment and burn our 1996 calendars. We set up her barbecue out in the open area between apartments, and after partying by eating all the ice cream we could, we went outside with our old calendars, started up the barbecue, and threw the calendars on the fire, all the time shouting and screaming. We danced around the fire and at midnight we made a commotion and threw confetti for as long as we could. We threw so hard that she dislocated her shoulder and I strained mine so badly that I had to go to physical therapy all year.

Reba, 50+
Silver Spring
, MD  USA

None of my Christmases have involved very strange activities. For some years, my family would put a turkey into the oven of our boat and spend the day deep sea fishing.

Jane, 62
West Linn
, OR   USA

There was a New Year's Eve that I spent baby-sitting with a friend (I think it was New Year's, anyway). There was this cat at the house where we were baby-sitting that was SO friendly and I was SO allergic to it. I never met another cat that set off my allergies so much. My friend thought I was going to die. This one was kind of weird just because it was different. I've never had anybody with whom I was romantically involved to share Christmas with before.

Karen, 22
Marshalltown/Ames
, IA   USA

none

Patty

Easy question: It is a tie:
First of, that would be the infamous Tofu Thanksgiving...Because of a family feud, I spend the Thanksgiving holiday with the folks, and since my mom is a diehard vegetarian (God knows why)...and my dad humors her...I had a tofu thanksgiving...not my bag...fortunately the feud ended, and now I have a real Thanksgiving...

The tied, which totally reeked of awesomeness, was when I sent Christmass night with the Word Wrestling Federations...at a house show...it was a Xmas gift..Hogan and the Macho Man was the main event (I think)

Frodo
age unknown, parts unknown

Probably the year my brother, sister and I spent Christmas in Ireland. I was on my way back from Kenya and it was a strange time to take a holiday. It took us forever to find a place to stay since many B&Bs were full and / or closed. We went to mass in a packed church in Dublin that had the quickest service on record and we could barely understand a thing the priest said his accent was so thick. I can't even remember what we ate. It was a very foreign and weird sort of experience.

Felicia, 35
Lowell
, MA   USA

all night bowling on christmas night with a bunch of people i hardly knew - getting drunk

Firelady, 23
Dallas
, TX   USA

As a Jew, the only December 25th that I didn't go to the movies was a couple years ago when I did a day of community service/action instead. I guess that was the strangest in the sense that it deviated from the norm.

Eric, 19
Beverly Hills
, CA  USA

mighta been Christmas Eve all alone on a chilly night in an old-style outside shopping center. . . .I was about 15 years old. . .

mothmc, 37
Los Angeles
, CA  USA

Yesterday / Tomorrow