The holidays are supposed to be a time of tremendous joy that we all look forward to every year—but what happens when they’re not? As much fun as they can be under ordinary circumstances, they can really suck when life gets in the way and spoils our ability to enjoy them. So what exactly does it take to ruin the most wonderful time of the year? These poor people know first hand.
1. Sudden Tragedy
Last Christmas Eve, my mom passed on at the age of 71. Then, on New Year’s Eve, my dad had a heart attack and lost his life at the age of 78. Needless to say, this completely ruined the entire holiday season for me and my family. To make matters even worse, our entire family got food poisoning from the catering that the church provided at the funeral service. It seems a bit comical now, but it wasn’t the least bit funny at the time…
2. Not Exactly the Ideal Christmas Dinner
What ruined my Christmas this year was when my mother-in-law tried to feed my eldest child a mango, a thing that she has been allergic to for the past 11 years. My eldest said, “What are you doing??!! Grandma, I’m allergic to those!” Grandma replied “It’ll be okay. After all, it’s Christmas!” Um, no. Last time I checked, food allergies don’t take Christmas off, you idiot…
3. Farewell, My Feline Friend
Without any warning at all, my beloved cat passed on Christmas Eve. I’d had him for almost 15 years and he meant so much to me. I still miss you, Nero.
4. There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays
I live in Vancouver, where basically nobody is originally from. The vast majority of people I know who live here are actually from other places, and so all of my friends and my girlfriend go home for Christmas. I have spent the holidays alone the last three years in a row. That’s what always ruins my Christmas. It just feels so painfully lonely.
5. Dinner Reservations
One year, the power in our house went out on Christmas Eve and, even though we called the utility company and begged them to help, they couldn't do anything. The power never came back on for the entire holiday. All the delicious food we prepared at home rotted without the fridge. In the end, we had to have our Christmas dinner at McDonald’s.
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6. Showing Them All Who’s Boss
What ruined Christmas this year? Me! I was invited to a lovely dinner by my boss with his extended family. Even though I was extremely nervous beforehand, everything went amazingly well—until I messed it all up with one horrific mistake.
For a little bit of background, I had just been promoted to manager for my boss's company within the last month. The business is very small (only five employees). When he learned that I had been planning to spend Christmas alone, he decided that he wasn’t going to let that happen and graciously invited me over. He even insisted on driving me home at the end of the night.
But here's the thing. Before getting the job, I'd lived in a large city and haven’t needed to be in a car for a very long time. In fact, this ride home was probably the first time I had ridden in one in about a year. So, as I was in my boss's beautiful car, I started to feel ill. That intense, nauseating kind of motion sickness. I tried to open the window to get some air, but it was safety locked, probably because my boss and his wife had just had a baby.
I felt trapped and helpless. I tried to keep myself from puking but at a certain point, there was no use. I puked all over the inside of my boss's car. After it happened, I was extremely embarrassed. I offered to have the car cleaned for him, and his reply shocked me. He just said “No worries, I’m more just worried about if you are okay". I seriously lucked out with best boss ever!
7. A Slight Change of Plans
If this doesn't ruin Christmas, I don't know what does. My fiancé abruptly decided to cancel our wedding and end our years-long relationship just a couple of days before the winter holidays began. Her rejection completely crushed me. It was just impossible to get into a festive mood after I went through something like that…
8. Let’s All Wish Him a Speedy Recovery
On the 14th of December, I received the worst news of my life. My brother had been hit by a car and gravely, horribly injured. Even though the doctors did all they could, he is still lying in an artificial coma at the hospital. Needless to say, this made it extremely hard for me to enjoy celebrating the Christmas season this year.
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9. Not Quite Words of Love
What ruined Christmas for me was when my dad used an insult to refer to my girlfriend while we were over for a holiday visit. We kinda had to leave after that one, especially when he refused to apologize because, in his words, "that's what they're called". Yeah...not the best Christmas dinner for anyone involved. Thanks, dad.
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10. Sounds Like You Have Some Nutty People in Your Family!
What ruined Christmas for me this year was everyone weirdly forgetting that I was allergic to nuts and, as a result, putting nuts in all of our food. Spent Christmas in the ICU. Thanks, fam!
11. Not Exactly Model Behavior
I got my boyfriend a model kit for Christmas. I thought he'd love it, but I was so wrong. He called it "cheap" and said it probably wasn’t even worth his time to assemble. Then, later on, he told me not to let it discourage me from buying him more presents in the future. I felt very unappreciated and the whole thing ruined Christmas for me.
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12. Something Was Missing
What ruined Christmas for me this year was that my sister couldn’t come home. She moved to another country recently and couldn’t make it back in time for Christmas. I didn’t think I would mind that much. I’m so lonely without her, though. We had so many Christmas traditions together, and I didn’t have anyone to laugh with me about everything during dinner this year.
I’m thankful that she’s still alive and physically here on earth, but it was just more lonely than I expected to not have her around. It wasn’t a bad Christmas, it just didn’t really feel like a complete Christmas.
13. Brotherly Love
What ruined Christmas for me this year was my brother picking a fight with my sister over who won WWII. He was wrong, and she refused to let him get away with it. We left when he started yelling at her and calling her an idiot. Oh, but that's not all. My sister has a degree in political science and teaches world history.
14. It’s All About the Attitude
Last Christmas, my brother got a super bad migraine after lunch and endured a few decent rounds of throwing up in the bathroom. When he eventually came back out, he put both of his arms up in the air and proclaimed “Whoop whoop! I’m putting on zero calories this Christmas!” He was promptly told to shut up and went back to sleep for the rest of the day.
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15. A New Christmas Tradition
Having to work retail in the morning on Christmas Day completely destroyed the holiday spirit for me. The store was extremely busy, which meant that I had a stressful shift. But that also means that corporate will probably keep it open on Christmas Day again next year. They may even increase the store hours on that day from now on.
16. Bugged
I caught some sort of stomach bug at 5:00 in the morning on Christmas Day. I then threw up eight times and couldn’t go to my dad’s place or to my grandparents’ house for dinner. I had been more excited for Christmas this year than I had been any other year, and in the end, I had to spend it all alone, feeling pukey in bed. Woohoo!
17. To Save My Uncle, I Have to Become My Uncle
Our uncle recently abandoned his children as a result of his substance misuse. It was bad, but my sister's response was just plain crazy. She drank a lot started telling us all about how she wanted to get high with our uncle in a “controlled environment” to try and help him come back to reality—whatever that means.
She told us that she isn’t going to “become an addict,” but that she “just wants to know what it’s like” so that she can try to help him. It’s been an emotional couple of hours trying to get the fact that this WOULDN’T WORK through her thick skull.
18. Oh What a Terrible Morning
This Christmas, my great aunt got deported, and I got a freakin’ cup stuck in my garbage disposal. What an awful day!
19. Worried Sick
What ruined Christmas for me was a typhoon ripping through my family’s town in the Philippines. There is an eight hour time difference and we spent the whole of Christmas Day refreshing our phones for updates. After 36 hours, there was still no news from them whatsoever and we were going crazy waiting. Thankfully, everyone turned out to be alive and okay, but the damage is pretty bad. I'll have to wait until their power is back for full details, but at least I can rest easier now.
20. Dinner and a Show
What ruined Christmas for me this year was eating a large quantity of gravy and following it with a large quantity of broccoli casserole. Needless to say, the two-hour drive home afterward was awful…
21. A Bad Year to Be a Gift
Two things ruined our Christmas this year. First, my bratty five-year-old kid had to go and peek at all his presents three days before Christmas. Then, almost like karma getting back at my kid, our family dog peed on the Christmas tree, the tree skirt, and, you guessed it, all over everyone’s gifts too. Merry Christmas to me!
22. My Way or the Highway
My sister is what ruined Christmas for me and my family this year. She's having a mental breakdown and was very much in an "If I can't be happy, everyone else has to suffer" kind of mood for the entire week.
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23. Dropping Like Flies
Christmas was ruined this year when everyone in my family caught the flu. And not the dignified flu. The fighting-over-who-gets-to-use-the-bathroom-first kind of flu. No one was spared and the carnage was horrific. One by one, each and every one of my family members fell ill until all of our Christmas plans crumbled like a bunch of gingerbread cookies.
24. If You Don’t Have Your Health, You Don’t Have Anything
What ruined the holidays for me this year was getting the flu and pooping my way through Christmas morning.
25. Terrible Timing
Christmas sucked for me this year because my grandmother was in the hospital. Even worse, I couldn’t even visit her because I had to work the entire time.
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26. But Tell Us What She Really Thinks!
What ruined Christmas for me this year was my mom screaming at me, and calling me a stupid, mean, self-centered, miserable, awful daughter.
27. May He Rest in Peace
What ruined Christmas for me this year was that my dad passed just a few days before. His passing was on December 22nd, and we cremated him on December 26th. I spent Christmas Day with his body in the funeral home and set up the memorial program. I spent an hour with him on a bed, “talking” to him, telling him how much I missed him and wishing he would wake up.
28. I’ve Got a Secret
What ruined Christmas for me was finding out that my 19-year-old sister secretly married her boyfriend and still hasn’t actually told us yet. Apparently, she’s waiting to tell us until she visits. None of us like her boyfriend (now husband), and he doesn’t treat her like she deserves to be treated. Looks like this Christmas will be very interesting…
29. Mother's Little Helper
Is anyone else’s family this dysfunctional? Every year, there is a major argument in my family during the holidays and finally, after 32 years, I was the one who blew up for the first time. To make a long story short, I’m half-Korean and half-white. My mom is Korean. My dad’s side is white. So, we only have my Dad’s side of the family living here in the United States with us.
For years, I have watched time and time again as certain relatives from my dad’s side repeatedly speak down to my mom. They never invite her to things. My brother and I have always been treated like outsiders by these family members. To be frank, I don’t really care how I'm treated by them. Every year, we always bite our tongues and survive the holidays because it’s only 2 or 3 times a year.
My mom even buys gifts every year for them, despite the fact that she never gets anything in return. She never complains. My white grandma is 80 years old now, and she’s the only thing still anchoring us to some of these family members. Three times in one day this Christmas, I watched a family member (aunt) raise her voice to my mom, talk to her as if she doesn’t speak English, and shut her down over simple questions like “Where should I sit?”
I watched my mom quietly recoil and I couldn’t stand to see it again. This aunt does it the most and I finally blew up. I yelled so loud that everyone instantly stopped what they were doing. I told them that enough is enough and that they had better start treating my mom with respect and as an equal in this house. I told them to stop speaking to my mom (who has lived in the US for over 35 years) as if she doesn’t understand English and to stop shutting her down over simple questions. I watched it happen year after year and insisted that I would not allow it to happen anymore.
My aunt stomped away and was so upset that she left the house. As she was walking away, I walked up to her and handed her my mom’s yearly gift to her. I said “For 30 years, I have watched my mom give you a gift every year. I watched her speak to you as an equal with respect. I’ve never once seen you treat her the same way in return". She didn’t say anything to me in response; but before she walked out the door, she did something that shocked me: she actually apologized to my mom.
Before I left, I apologized to everyone for the outburst and explained why I had been so upset. Everyone was shocked, but once I explained it, they started to get it a bit more. But still, it definitely made things awkward for everyone there. People trickled out of the party early. Now, my poor grandma is already talking about not wanting to host Christmas anymore in the future due to our constant family drama. I feel bad about that, but at the same time, I’ve never felt so proud to stand up for my mom.
After we left, she gave me a very long mom hug. She didn’t say anything and just asked me if I wanted to go out for one of my favorite Korean dishes. That was her way of saying that she was proud of me. It felt good. Plus, Grandma’s 80th birthday is in two months. Now people will definitely think twice before being rude to my mom. Cheers and have a Happy New Year!
30. Double Whammy
Christmas was ruined for me this year because I spent it alone with my feelings. No good food was had either.
31. He Should Probably Get That Checked Out...
What ruined Christmas for me this year was finding out that one of my cousins is in really poor health. I hadn't seen him in a few months, and he has since developed a hernia in his groin. It has grown to the size of a soccer ball and, though he's only 27 years old, he's gotten so sick that he looks and sounds like he's 45. And that's not even the worst part.
For some reason, he refuses to get medical attention for it. He's always struggled with depression and I worry that he's just waiting to pass at this point.
32. Spoiling the Party
What ruined the holidays for me this year was finding out that my family had a Christmas party...without me. A few days before the 25th, I got a card from them with directions to a charity dinner. I figured that it was their way of telling they weren't doing anything this year. Apparently, it was actually their way of telling me that I wasn't invited.
33. It May Never Feel Right Again
My baby son passed on in the summer. Christmas didn't feel right at all this year.
34. Time Doesn’t Heal All
A few months ago, I decided to cut my horrible mother out of my life. Of course, since it was the holiday season, my grandmother and a few cousins of mine decided that I needed to get into the Christmas spirit and forgive my mother because, "It’s Christmas!" I'm not forgiving someone who isn't sorry. I'm not allowing these people back into my life just because it's the holidays.
Dealing with that whole thing really sucked. It completely ruined Christmas for me this year.
35. Turning on the Waterworks
Christmas was ruined this year by my grandmother being a jerk. She's not a nice person (never has been) but this year, she went too far. She actually made my tough-as-nails mother cry. Now, my mom never cries and always holds her emotions back; so the fact that she was bawling her eyes out should tell you how bad things got this time…
36. O Come All Ye Unfaithful
I found out about my husband’s affair while we were home for Christmas 15 years ago, and those were some very awful days for me. Celebrating the holiday was the last thing on my mind that year. Thankfully, just one year later, I was able to look back on it and say “Wow, I’m so glad I’m having THIS Christmas right now and not last year’s!” Big hugs to anyone who’s ever been through something similar.
37. Father Doesn’t Always Know Best
What has ruined just about every Christmas for me throughout my childhood has been the behavior of my father, who has a drinking problem. He would make up a new lie every year to explain why we didn’t have any presents. His favorite excuse was "They're in my work truck, I forgot to bring them home". He would just keep repeating this line over and over again after Christmas ended too, hoping we would eventually forget. In reality, we would stop asking; but we would never forget.
We usually found him passed out in his car on Christmas morning, still blitzed. He was also the type of person who would just get violently angry during every holiday. I think he's the reason why I have hated Christmas for most of my life. Luckily, I now have a wonderful girlfriend with an amazing family who welcome me into their home every year. Thanks to that, I'm actually starting to enjoy the holidays for a change.
38. You’re a Mean One, Mrs. Grinch
My mom ruined Christmas. She basically turns into the Grinch at this time of year. She's a narcissist and only cares about her own feelings, and my dad does nothing about it. When it comes to her, he's just a coward.
39. Bringing Down the House
What ruined my Christmas this year was when my cousins got a mini bouncy castle, only for disaster to strike. The entire thing popped—while there were, like, ten screaming children inside of it, all under eight years old. When it happened, the amount of crying and shrieking almost broke my eardrums in half. Traumatized children do not make for a happy holiday.
40. Home Is Where the Inheritance Is
What ruined Christmas for me this year? Easy. It was watching my dad and his siblings fighting over my recently deceased grandmother’s house. I really miss my grandma and really hope my family can work this out, especially because it turned out that neither my dad nor his siblings got the house. Instead, she did something that shocked everyone.
The attorney just called to let us know that Grandma randomly left the house to...me. And the rest of her assets are to be divided between me, my brother, and my two cousins. Even though I'm pre-law, I really don’t know what I am going to do.
41. She’ll Give You an I.O.U.
What ruined Christmas for me this year was when my cousin stole $250 from me. Once she got caught, she said something I'll never forget: “But I need the money and you're too spoiled anyway!” She then proceeded to get to keep half of MY money after throwing a crying fit and refusing to give it back until she got some money from her mom.
After all that, I still don’t know why her parents don’t punish her if they actually care about being half-decent.
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42. An Awkward Time to Disappear
My niece and nephew’s uncle on the other side of the family ruined Christmas for us this year. His car was found randomly abandoned on the side of the road in the morning, with his phone on the front seat, vomit all over the car, and the back tire shredded. The whole family had to go out looking for him all day.
When we finally learned the truth, we felt so betrayed. Turns out he was fine. He was just being a complete jerk. They found him at a friend’s house, and then brought him home. This is by no means his first instance of selfish or reckless behavior, just a first that he did this kind of thing on Christmas. Oh, and he also didn’t bother to get his own children any presents, because “they were stolen out of his car". Sure.
