My parents marriage did not survive Christmas 1998

by Kim Creus

Christmas Day 1998 will always be known as the year my parents marriage did not survive Disney World and they decided to break the news they were getting divorced. Christmas is also four days before my birthday.

So started my lifetime of extremely untraditional Christmases in very ‘unchristmassy’ locations.

Now before you stop reading this piece because you can’t see through your sympathy tears, I’ll tell you this; I still love Christmas.

Fortune in therapy 

For those who’s parents are divorced and fathers work abroad there is a lot of work being done to make sure you turn out to be a normal functioning human being that won’t cost them a fortune in therapy.

After Christmas 1998 I had Christmas in a new location every year thanks to my guilt-ridden father.

One Christmas I was on an island in the Philippines, we ate roast chicken wrapped in banana leaves.

Another Christmas I met my beautiful Cambodian aunt and spent Christmas Eve in a wooden house on stilts.

Exotic London 

Eeach one was different and exciting but it wasn’t until 2010 that I had my first white Christmas; I’d like to say it was in an idealic ski lodge in Switzerland but it was actually in York with my best friend and her family.

This year it’ll be in London and I am looking forward to it just as much as I would if I were going to the most exotic location in the world.

I have no idea what next Christmas will be like, but as you can see I am definitely used to not knowing what the next festive season will bring.