Christmas has always been known as a joyful holiday full of questionable health choices and overzealous children, but what about when something goes wrong? Whether it’s rampant rodents or broken body parts, for some families Christmas hasn’t had the best history. Various people around NAI were asked about their personal imperfect Christmas days in the past.

5.) A Bow and Arrow:

Once fourteen year old Madison Pittman received a bow and arrow as a gift, she made the obvious choice of immediately opening and checking it out. Playing around outside, her brother saw her, and wanted to join in on the fun. When she was ready to let go and shoot, “he didn’t think I would actually do it”… he was wrong.

The arrow never hit him, but rather flew right underneath his armpit. Although, it’s safe to say that the whole event might have scarred her brother for awhile and compelled him in the future to consider his options before trusting his older sister again.

4.) Santa’s Gift of a Pee Puddle:

When Alyssa Bruce’s older sister was nine years old, her family went to the mall to get overpriced pictures with Santa Claus. However, she neglected to go to the bathroom while waiting in line, and would eventually regret that decision.

During the wait, she and her mother ventured to the bathroom while the rest of their family saved their spots in line. When she attempted to undo her belt, she was unable to do so. Her mother offered her assistance, but striving to keep her dignity, she refused her mother’s aid, peeing her pants right there on the spot.

When she later hopped on Santa’s lap, he received a gift that was not festive in the slightest. In the aftermath, her father bought her a new pair of pants that she wore the rest of the day, and the crisis was averted for the remaining family members.

3.) The Burning of the Christmas Tree:

Anna Mott was twelve years old when one Christmas day, the lights on her tree decided to become too hot, and set a section of the tree on fire. The first person to notice this was her mother, who shouted, “Look at the tree!” while the rest of her family members were laying about after eating one to many desserts.

After they all removed themselves from the furniture, they poured water onto the part of the tree that caught fire before it got any worse. Everyone and everything returned back to normal, except, of course, the Christmas tree.

2.) The Wild Squirrel:

(This source would like to be anonymous) He/she’s family was unsuccessful in detecting a furry friend hiding inside of its Christmas tree when he/she was ten years old. Only when the tree was brought up his/her driveway did it reveal itself and run into house through the door. The startled and discombobulated family members did not know how to take action themselves, so they called animal control for its help, and “waited for a few hours in our cold garage in order for them to arrive and get the squirrel”.

1.) The Broken Back:

Rushing to open presents at 5:00 am, eleven year old Hannah Dollin wasn’t paying much attention or being cautious, because, well, it was Christmas day. As a consequence, she slipped on some socks and fell down the stairs, waking up her family. When everyone got downstairs (without falling), they witnessed her at the bottom, and her mother laughed, not aware of the situation. When the embarrassment died down, they discovered that she had done something serious to her back. However, this didn’t prevent her from enjoying the holiday, for she “had to go to the hospital the next day, because she didn’t want to go on Christmas.”