In my twenties, I left an abusive husband at Christmas time. I had carefully planned it and when everything came together at Christmas, I got out.

The worst part for me was that I had left my job to be with him in California. He had a lot of money, but refused to give me anything to buy Christmas gifts for my family so I sewed all my old fabric into pretty pillows for them. I used what money I had for gifts for my kids.

Though I never intended to ever be with him again, I told him I was going to take a job in our home state and he could follow later when he finished a project he was working on for the Whitehouse.

He insisted on driving me back home for Christmas with his family and mine. He strapped the gifts for my kids and his gifts for his kids on top of my van. We arrived at Mom and Dad's house on Christmas Eve. During the night I got up to play Santa and all of the gifts for his kids were intact, but my girl's gifts had blown off the van. I have never been so sad on Christmas before.

But I scrambled and re-wrapped the gifts intended for me from my husband and parents and gave them to my girls. Somehow Christmas turned out as great as ever and I was out of that mess never to go back. Within a month, I was at my new job, had miraculously bought a house, and had the kids in school.

It was the hardest Christmas I can ever remember.

smile

[ December 16, 2005, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: smilinize ]