I had driven across the country from Fort Gordon, hit a blizzard in Albuqueraue, hit -5 degrees in Flagstaff, hit torrential rain in the Bay Area, hit a blinding rain and snow storm in the Siskyous, and arrived just shy of the infamous Christmas Blizzard of '71.
My unit sent me off to the BOQ and told me to check in after Christmas. This was that Christmas I wrote about last year which I spent pretty much alone. It was my first Christmas away from home.
When my battalion got a new CO that summer, I told him about my experience, and he was furious. There are military traditions surrounding Christmas, and I had been locked out of them by simple indifference. He immediately made sure that newly arriving officers had a fellow officer to guide them around and keep them in the loop for the holiday traditions.
Something good came out of it.
Sounds like a rough Christmas.
As tough as Christmas was for you that year, you surely made it much better for following troops.