not really x-mas...But I do remember my birthday(s)...I was admitted 2 wks before my 15th b-day. In St. Pete, they'd dish out some sheet cake on someone's b-day...As sort of a parental gift in abstentia...
Anyways, I was banking on Mom sending me a slice of cake...Then, I'd have some sort of comfort knowing that she remembered my b-day and didn't dump me off in psycho-camp and went to Diz-world...See, she has an impeccable mind for numbers & dates and never forgot to do something on our b-days...(She's a mathmatician for cristsake!)
Long story short, my b-day came around and not a happy b-day or piece of shite cake! I "sat in my doo" and misbehaved...
Years later, my Mom told me that she wanted to order me such a cake, but got confronted in parent rap for being weak and enabling...She also said that she felt doubly-guilty...One, for leaving her lil' sweet pea all alone & scared on his b-day and two, for making a cardinal error in the eyes of the program...
I know this may seem very small to most who read this...However, at the time I just turned 15 and was locked up in drug rehab...Any sort of small respite from a loving Mother would have been welcomed in such bleak circumstances...
However, I look back on it now and kind of laugh at it all...So much effort went into those rediculous & petty power plays, mind games and manipulations, that alot of the altruistic intentions were lost to the few that controled the many...
To quote from a Woody Allen film..."Comedy=tragedy+time..." Straight to me was a tragedy at the time, yet I find myself laughing alot in order to deal with it...