--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then came that terrible Christmas with…" description: "\"“Then came that terrible Christmas with its awful presents when our father, with the vanity I was to find typical, sent his photograph. My gift from Mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/maya-angelou-104_feeling-lonely_then-came-that-terrible-christmas-with-i_1614826.png" --- # Then came that terrible Christmas with its awful presents… ![“Then came that terrible Christmas with its awful presents when our father, with the vanity I was to find typical, sent his photograph. My gift from Mother was a tea set—a teapot, four cups and saucers and tiny spoons-and a doll with blue eyes and rosy cheeks and yellow hair painted on her head. I…” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/maya-angelou-104_feeling-lonely_then-came-that-terrible-christmas-with-i_1614826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/maya-angelou-104_feeling-lonely_then-came-that-terrible-christmas-with-i_1614826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/maya-angelou-104_feeling-lonely_then-came-that-terrible-christmas-with-i_1614826.png) > ““Then came that terrible Christmas with its awful presents when our father, with the vanity I was to find typical, sent his photograph. My gift from Mother was a tea set—a teapot, four cups and saucers and tiny spoons-and a doll with blue eyes and rosy cheeks and yellow hair painted on her head. I didn't know what Bailey received, but after I opened my boxes I went out to the backyard behind the chinaberry tree. The day was cold and the air as clear as water. Frost was still on the bench but I sat down and cried. I looked up and Bailey was coming from the outhouse, wiping his eyes. He had been crying too. I didn't know if he had also told himself they were dead and had been rudely awakened to the truth or whether he was just feeling lonely. The gifts opened the door to questions that neither of us wanted to ask. Why did they send us away? and What did we do so wrong? So Wrong? Why at three and four, did we have tags put on our arms to be sent by train alone from Long Beach, California, to Stamps, Arkansas, with only the porter to look after us?”” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on childhood trauma, loss, and the painful search for identity amid family separation. **In simple terms:** Childhood loss and searching for belonging. Key Takeaway Seek healing through sharing stories. Themes trauma family identity loss search Mood somber reflective Type memoir emotional inspirational When to use this quote - counseling - family reunion - memory work - writing therapy Key Concepts psychology social history Questions to Reflect On - How do memories shape our present? - What can we learn from shared pain? A Different Perspective Narratives may reopen wounds; not all audiences ready. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feeling lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-lonely/) [Long beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-beach/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [I undid the wrappings with great curiosity, for Holmes did not normally give gifts. I opened the dark velvet jewller's box and found inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-undid-the-wrappings-with-great-curiosity-for-holmes-did-not/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-was-a-gift-to-my-mother-she-was-a-remarkable-person-god-or-nature/) [Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/) > [No gift to your mother can ever equal her gift to you LIFE!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-gift-to-your-mother-can-ever-equal-her-gift-to-you-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“give her one silent gift from a mother she didn’t know she had—it would be this: the realization that we have to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/give-her-one-silent-gift-from-a-mother-she-didn-t-know-she-had-it/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [I was born with a natural gift. My mother recognized the talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-worrell/i-was-born-with-a-natural-gift-my-mother-recognized-the-talent/) [Bernie Worrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-worrell/) > [“Motherhood is a blissful chain...I have a mother - my precious gift...I am a mother - the best of my kind!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/motherhood-is-a-blissful-chain-i-have-a-mother-my-precious-gift-i-am/) [Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/) > [I bought an ideal gift for my mother-in-law - a battery-operated mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-bought-an-ideal-gift-for-my-mother-in-law-a-battery-operated-mouth/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Ever have that one friend who gets a Valentine's Day gift for their mother? Doens't that freak you out a little? It's like, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-meneve/ever-have-that-one-friend-who-gets-a-valentine-s-day-gift-for-their/) Russ Meneve > [That's the gift that a mother can give, to make everyone feel like they are the special one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/that-s-the-gift-that-a-mother-can-give-to-make-everyone-feel-like/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I'm immensely grateful for the precious gift my mother has given me. She is my hero today and every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cojocaru/i-m-immensely-grateful-for-the-precious-gift-my-mother-has-given-me/) [Steven Cojocaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cojocaru/) > [“A little gift from her mother who made Linda what she was –a damn survivor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/a-little-gift-from-her-mother-who-made-linda-what-she-was-a-damn/) [Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/) > [No other present in the world can be more special and beautiful than the gift of a mother. I am so so glad to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-other-present-in-the-world-can-be-more-special-and-beautiful-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've done drag races. I've done Long Beach Grand Prix stuff. I've done NASCAR stuff. Just about anything carwise under the sun, I've done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/i-ve-done-drag-races-i-ve-done-long-beach-grand-prix-stuff-i-ve-done/) [Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/) > [I went to school in Long Beach, and all the seniors I used to kick it with called me Pac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetrius-shipp-jr/i-went-to-school-in-long-beach-and-all-the-seniors-i-used-to-kick-it/) [Demetrius Shipp, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetrius-shipp-jr/) > [Real love is not based upon romance,candle light,dinner and walk along beach.Infact,It's based on care,compromise,respect and trust..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-love-is-not-based-upon-romance-candle-light-dinner-and-walk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Feeling lonely quotes > [The worst feeling is not being lonely, sometimes it is being forgotten by someone you cant forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-feeling-is-not-being-lonely-sometimes-it-is-being-forgotten/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/) [Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/) > [I used to receive virtual smiles, sweet morning and night greetings. Now all I have is silence, and a blistered heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-used-to-receive-virtual-smiles-sweet-morning-and-night-greetings/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [People think being alone makes you LONELY, But I don't think thats true. Being surrounded by wrong people is the loneliest thing in World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-think-being-alone-makes-you-lonely-but-i-don-t-think-thats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't feel alone, because there is always someone out there who loves you more than you can imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-feel-alone-because-there-is-always-someone-out-there-who-loves/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Dear God, thanks for being there when no one else was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myah/dear-god-thanks-for-being-there-when-no-one-else-was/) [Myah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myah/) > [There's nothing worse than feeling lonely in a relationship, its time to move on...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-feeling-lonely-in-a-relationship-its-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loneliness hits the minds of those that thinks they are single and alone. There's always someone out there waiting patiently for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loneliness-hits-the-minds-of-those-that-thinks-they-are-single-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once you're back on your feet - if you ever make it back on your feet - that's the ultimate achievement. I remember I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/once-you-re-back-on-your-feet-if-you-ever-make-it-back-on-your-feet/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [The worst feeling: Being in a room full of PEOPLE & still being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-j-wilson/the-worst-feeling-being-in-a-room-full-of-people-still-being-lonely/) [Kiana J Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-j-wilson/) > [I never feel lonely in the kitchen. Food is very friendly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/i-never-feel-lonely-in-the-kitchen-food-is-very-friendly/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Lonely isn't a feeling when you're alone, lonely is a feeling when no one cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lonely-isn-t-a-feeling-when-you-re-alone-lonely-is-a-feeling-when-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you, youll never treat yourself right, but I want you to, if I let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-direction/you-ll-never-love-yourself-half-as-much-as-i-love-you-youll-never/) [One Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-direction/) > [People used to talk bad about you,i defended you and told them they were wrong.stupid me.i finally see what they see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/people-used-to-talk-bad-about-you-i-defended-you-and-told-them-they/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Too much to ask for may leave me feeling lonely. Too little leaves me nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/too-much-to-ask-for-may-leave-me-feeling-lonely-too-little-leaves-me/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) [Browse all 500 Feeling lonely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-lonely/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then came that terrible Christmas with its awful presents when our father, with the vanity I was to find typical, sent his photograph. My gift from Mother was a tea set—a teapot, four cups and saucers and tiny spoons-and a doll with blue eyes and rosy cheeks and yellow hair painted on her head. I didn't know what Bailey received, but after I opened my boxes I went out to the backyard behind the chinaberry tree. The day was cold and the air as clear as water. Frost was still on the bench but I sat down and cried. I looked up and Bailey was coming from the outhouse, wiping his eyes. He had been crying too. I didn't know if he had also told himself they were dead and had been rudely awakened to the truth or whether he was just feeling lonely. The gifts opened the door to questions that neither of us wanted to ask. Why did they send us away? and What did we do so wrong? So Wrong? 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