Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, my parents were alcoholics, and I didn't know the difference. Until that one Christmas, when our lives came crashing down. Then, I knew what alcohol abuse could do to a family.

The strains of "Please daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas, I don't wanna see my momma cry" wound their way throughout the house. For some reason, my mom always played that song at Christmas. My dad always used to laugh uproariously as it played, singing along with the lyrics, and usually swigging a can of beer at the same time. Mom would laugh at his antics, and play the song again. Other kids could sing "Silent Night" or "O Come All Ye Faithful," but I could sing every verse of "Please Daddy" by the time I was four, it seems.

I always thought...
[ View Full Essay]