Christmas love stories

When her few meagre pennies aren’t enough, Della sells her glorious long hair, and uses the money to buy her husband a platinum chain for his pocket watch, which he inherited from his grandfather. 

Unknowing, Jim sells his precious pocket watch to buy a set of tortoise shell combs for Della.  So she has no hair left to pin up, and he has no watch to hang on his chain. But on Christmas Eve, these young lovers learn that the true gifts they have given each other are sacrifice and unconditional love.
You got a little smoke in your eye there, haven’t you?

Such a story would be hard to top, but we’re going to try anyway.  We asked a few WomanWise readers about their personal stories of Christmas love, and here’s what they had to say.

Making her happy,  makes him happy

One woman learned about love by watching her parents.
“In those days we didn’t have a fridge, and mummy had to go to the market every day to get fresh food. Then daddy started strutting around whistling all day.  The song ‘I want a hippopotamus for Christmas’ had just come out, and he couldn’t stop singing it.  We children knew he was up to something, but couldn’t imagine what.  If you saw my mother’s face when the van pulled up with that green Westinghouse!  He must have saved for a very long time to buy it for her.  And forevermore, we all referred to the fridge as ‘the hippopotamus’.
Retiree, 71

Starstruck

For some women, it’s so easy to be swept away by the party spirit and the mere idea of Christmas romance that their judgement takes a holiday.  

“I stopped for gas on Christmas Day and the pump attendant was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.  I felt like I was hit by a comet.  I’m not usually forward but I asked him what time he finished work and invited him to a party that night.  Right off the bat, we were wild for each other.  The sex was crazy good.  It didn’t last more than a few weeks, though.  Not to sound mean, but I was doing my Master’s and he was happy pumping gas.  And he must have blabbed to his pals about stuff we did because every time I went for gas one of them would ask me out.  I started buying gas somewhere else.”
Teacher, 37

Loving support when Christmas is blue

It’s easy to assume that everyone spends a happy Christmas in the bosom of their family, but for those who’ve suffered a loss during the year, it’s hard to sit at a feast-laden table knowing there’s an empty chair that will never again be filled.  A good man understands that there are places other than home for the holidays…and he’s there to support you with open arms.

“After my mom passed, I couldn’t bear all the family stuff, so my boyfriend and I went to Barbados to get away. We left like about 5 am on Christmas and were drinking champagne in Bridgetown by 7 am. It was good!
Insurance executive, 44

Others know their loved one wouldn’t have wanted them to be sad.

“My mom lost her dad (who she adored) on Christmas day, yet it was always her favourite day of the year. She would go all out for Christmas, decorating, baking. She was 19 when he died, and she was visiting with relatives, so it was her first Christmas spent away from her family. I asked her once if she ever had a period of just wishing the holiday away.  But Mom said her dad had loved the holiday, had always made it extra special. And 19 years of wonderful memories trumped one awful one. Her dad would have hated the thought that he'd ruined Christmas for her.”
Office manager, 58

Love is a moveable feast

Some of us learn that there’s no special time to feel that Christmas love.
“I was in my first trimester and morning sickness was giving me thunder. It was bad enough I couldn’t have any ponche de creme and the smell of ham turned my stomach— don’t even think about turkey giblets!  Whole Christmas I vex.  Then the next March, a week before Carnival, I was over the nausea and eating like a horse.  My husband sent me shopping.  When I came home there was a wreath up on the wall and a tiny Christmas tree on the table, surrounded by ham, turkey, pastelles and stuffing.  I even got presents!  It was the best Christmas we ever had.”
Trainee engineer, 25