Reply #103: My mom once threatened to take our Christmas presents [View All]

[mac56]

and give them to the Salvation Army.

Six kids in the family, barely had two nickels to rub together. Not a lot of presents, but those that were there were the focal points of our kid universe. I'd fight, squabble, spar with my sisters regularly. Partially out of adolescence, partially out of Christmas vacation boredom, partially out of heightened arousal and excitement. And being cooped up indoors in northern Minnesota in December.

In any case, my mom snapped one day near Christmas. Really lost it. Told us all we were rotten kids for fighting, and she was going to haul all our presents to the Salvation Army. In retrospect I realize that lots of the reasons we were acting out were true for Mom too.

Off we all went to our rooms, sobbing. Slowly we emerged from our rooms and saw the presents still there. But that was an excruciating several days between then and Christmas. We all checked every day to see whether the presents would suddenly disappear.

They were all there on Christmas morning. Honestly, I think my mom forgot her threat not long after she made it. But it's forty years later, and I remember it vividly.

My advice? Don't do it. Find some other motivator. Christmas shouldn't be snatched away from a kid for a reason like this.