Finally Able To Enjoy Christmas

by Kay Heitsch

Christmas can be a challenging time for many people. They may be remembering an unpleasant childhood, they may be experiencing the loss of someone, they may be alone, the list goes on and on.

My dad had a tough childhood. His mom died at age 5, and his dad went into a deep depression. By the age of 9, my dad was smoking and drinking, and he started to work on the railroad. Needless to say, his Christmastime was anything but pleasant. All these experiences made my dad a rough and tough man.

When Christmas rolled around each year, these unpleasant memories seemed to take over my dad's thinking. He now was an alcoholic. As I saw it, the way he dealt with life many times was to try and numb his bad memories with alcohol. When he did, he was very verbal, and Mom and I had to hear his unhappiness. When he wasn't drinking, he was a different person.

Dad hated receiving gifts at Christmas. He'd make remarks when drunk that he didn't want or need Christmas gifts now. Dad expressed when he wanted a gift, as a child, no one ever gave him one. My dad's behavior could be pretty bad when he was drinking. However, my mom never talked negatively about him.

Years passed, and my mom died. Bill and I started to see a significant change in my dad. For some unknown reason, he began to enjoy Christmas. He was always excited when we bought him gifts. One year we bought him a microwave. He lived alone, and we'd hear all about what he was making in the microwave. Another year we bought him a radio with a tape player in it, along with some country tapes. I found out he did not like Willie Nelson, but he liked Tom Jones. Now that was a surprise!

I'm not sure why there was such a change in my dad's outlook at Christmas, but I'm so happy that he was finally able to enjoy Christmas in the last few years of his life.