Jen & Roni talk Christmas Past

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Let’s talk Christmas past - Episode 2

We all have memories - our stories of Christmas past. Good, bad, or indifferent, those memories shape us; they mould us. They teach us lessons. They help us to decide what to do to change the trajectory of the Christmas yet to be. Some people are diehards, no matter what, they stick with the tried and tested methods and traditions. Others do anything and everything they can to imitate Houdini and make the last one disappear into nothingness; all the while vowing and declaring the next Christmas will be a better one.

Growing up Jen and Roni were only two of the seven children who filled the family home. They hadn’t always lived together, but the few years that all the children did live under one roof were nothing short of magical. It was loud, filled to the brim with hustle and bustle and the noise never stopped… Well, it did stop. It stopped at precisely 5.30 pm every single day!
As soon as that work truck pulled down the drive, the children scattered, collecting anything they might have had out for homework or play as they went. And that pattern continued into every festivity or activity, including Christmas day.

Christmas morning would start like many others with the season’s greetings, the opening of gifts, and the special Christmas breakfast. The extended family would either visit or be visited, just like a completely normal family. On the surface, all looked well on the homestead, but by the time the sun had slipped from the sky, the stepfather/father had also slipped into his notorious, violent, drunken rage.

Jen and Roni have chosen to share this story to not only share their experience but to also tell others who have found themselves in these situations that there is hope and that things can change. Every single day is a brand-new opportunity to strip down the old and rebuild your life, and your traditions and select a future you want to be a part of.

If any of the content in this episode has caused you any concern, please reach out to Lifeline or a similar organisation in your country.
Feel free to connect with others through our Facebook Group and Share your Story through our website.

Our community of survivors is here for you. Please know this… “You’re not alone in your pain, and, you have the ability to rise above the tragedy life has placed upon you.”

Jennifer B


Theme music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com