Although it’s not always picture-perfect, the holidays are a time for family to gather together and make treasured memories. There may be chaotic times, unanticipated accidents, or intense feelings that pull at our hearts amid the laughing and happiness. These small variations of “holiday spice” are what give the season its unique and unforgettable qualities.

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Story 1
Last Thanksgiving, my grandpa’s aunt came over. Her husband had died a few months prior.

She went through the line, making her plate, and then she went to the table and set it down. Then she went back and made another plate. And another. And another. And another. She put all of them down in front of different seats. I was sitting in one of the seats at first. She then went and grabbed a backpack she had brought with her and pulled out a bunch of framed photographs. One of them was her husband, a couple were her (still living) grandchildren, and one was her family doctor.
She started putting the pictures in chairs in front of the plates of food. That’s when it clicked for me, and I got out of there. Easily the most unsettling thing I’ve ever witnessed.

I went back into the dining room later, and she was spoon-feeding mashed potatoes to her dead husband’s picture.© haaayley / Reddit

Story 2
My ex told me she was going to stay the night at her mom’s house on Christmas Eve because she missed her. I said, “Yes, that’s your mom; go spend time with her,” and we agreed to meet up in the morning.

On Christmas morning, her mom called me, asking to speak with her and saying she couldn’t get ahold of her. I said, “She should be over there, right?” Her mom replied, “Nope, she hasn’t been here all night.”

That’s how I found out she was cheating on me. © DisengageKL / Reddit

Story 3

Story 4
My mother-in-law decided to overwhelm our 3-year-old son with a massive quantity of low-quality gifts. We were adamant in telling her not to go overboard, but she did anyway.

He got so fatigued from opening everything that he was completely worn out by dinner time and didn’t even open the (minimal) gifts from us and Santa. It was so disappointing.
© I-am-Wesha / Reddit

Story 5
I drove 4 hours to spend the day with my dad (at his request, made 3 weeks ago). But immediately after lunch—not even dinner—he said that he and his new girlfriend (of 4 weeks) were invited to a friend’s dinner and were going there. My drive was longer than the time he spent with me at his house.

So now, I’m watching Christmas movies with my grandma instead. After trying to fix our relationship, which has been rocky since I was a teenager (I’m now in my 30s), it’s great to realize he truly doesn’t care. © Real-Ginger-A** / Reddit

Story 6

Story 7
One year, my grandpa used an electric knife to cut the turkey and accidentally cut through the cord, causing the “Great Thanksgiving Blackout of 2013.” The power was out for only 20 minutes or so, but it’s still something we never fail to bring up every year at Thanksgiving. © fivethreebitty / Reddit

Story 8
I thought it would be a funny prank to put a rubber chicken in the oven on Thanksgiving. My mom would laugh and laugh. Ho ho ho, there’s a rubber chicken in the oven—what a gag.

Thirteen-year-old me didn’t realize that normal adults usually preheat the oven before putting the turkey in. © shhh_its_sneakos / Reddit

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Story 9
My husband (we’ve been separated for 6 months) begged and cried to come over on Christmas Eve so he could see the kids open presents in the morning. I agreed, with the understanding that he and I would not fight or be alone in the same room to avoid arguing and ruining the kids’ Christmas.

Of course, he proceeded to pick fights with me and even told the kids that I was the one keeping the family apart.

So, in conclusion, I ruined Christmas by allowing this to happen, and have never been so disappointed in my judgment. © Odd-Warning- / Reddit

Story 10
My husband is Southern and has a ginormous family that loves to get together any chance they get. It’s a nice change from my own family, who, as my dad jokes, only see each other at weddings or funerals.

In his family, everyone has their special dish they make and bring, including lots of different desserts. My husband has this one aunt (through marriage—we’ll call her Dina) who is notorious for stealing the pies that are baked and taking them home. Not just slices—whole pies. She’s discreetly known as “The Pie Thief.” Everyone knows, but no one confronts her.

A few years ago at Thanksgiving, I was standing next to the dessert table and jokingly said to my husband, “Better hide these before Dina sees them!” I turned around, and there she was—standing right behind me.

I don’t think she’s taken a pie since. © Happyphantom13 / Reddit

Story 11
My dad just ruined Christmas dinner for me. I was switching two chairs at the dinner table—one with arms was too tight against the table and nearly impossible to get into. He hollered at me for moving the chair.

Apparently, he’d done some measuring and was getting a few extra chairs that he thought would only fit a certain way, and he was already mad that no one had put the extra leaves on the table. I knew nothing about any of that—I was just trying to sit next to my kid.

It was humiliating. I knew I shouldn’t be the embarrassed one, and I tried to shake it off, but my eyes welled up with tears anyway. I’m going through a divorce after 20 years of marriage, and my ex is being awful about our 12-year-old. I guess I’m just more emotionally fragile than I realized. © ItIsAContest / Reddit

Story 12
Growing up poor, we never had holiday meals. On Thanksgiving morning in 2010, I was at my friend’s house, and the aroma of food was irresistible. I sneaked into the kitchen and tasted some gravy. Her mother caught me and said, “Is this how your mom raised you?” I was so embarrassed and left quickly.

That evening, I went home to find my mother with tears in her eyes. Shocked, I discovered a huge turkey on the table, along with gravy and side dishes—a sight I had never seen in our home. My mother explained that a kind woman had dropped it off just half an hour earlier, simply smiled, and left.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. That night, my family and I sat together, sharing a meal that felt like a miracle. For the first time in a long while, our home was filled with joy and gratitude.

Later that night, I opened my backpack and found something that made me freeze. It was a note that read: “No matter what happens in life, keep your head up high. You might not know it now, but a time will come when life will treat you as you truly deserve.”

I still keep that note in my wallet.