10 Worst Things Ever to Happen on Christmas

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most bloody or horrific disasters occurring on or near Christmas.

The USSR Invades Afghanistan (1979)

Christmas Eve 1979 marked the beginning of one of the longest and bloodiest boondoggles in Russian history. That day, the Soviet Union launched its invasion of Afghanistan. What began as a covert operation to prop up a faltering communist government quickly spiraled into a decade-long quagmire. Years of death, displacement, and despair would follow. The invasion was brutal, marked by scorched-earth tactics, indiscriminate bombings, and the use of landmines that still haunt Afghan soil. It devastated Afghan society, creating millions of refugees. It also sparked one of the Cold War's fiercest proxy battles as the U.S. armed mujahideen fighters. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians would be killed in the conflict.

Congo Christmas Massacre (2008)

The Democratic Republic of Congo is no stranger to tragedies, and the year 2008 ended with a horrific one. After weeks of unrest and violence, Christmas of 2008 provided few tidings of comfort and joy. The Lord’s Resistance Army - a terrorist Christian cult - unleashed a devastating and murderous rampage. As the holiday began on Christmas Eve, the LRA attacked villages across the Haut-Uélé province. More than 600 people were slaughtered in ways too brutal to describe here. They also abducted dozens of people - including children - committed acts of sexual violence against women, and razed whole villages to the ground. This massacre was part of the LRA’s long campaign of terror, leaving scars that persist today.

Erzincan[a] Earthquake (1939)

Uncertainty reigned everywhere during Christmas of 1939 as the world braced for the storms of war. In the midst of this, Turkey faced a natural disaster. An earthquake struck the Erzincan region on December 27 with devastating force: 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. Entire villages were leveled, leaving over 32,000 dead. Countless more were injured or left homeless in the frigid winter. Amid the cheer of bells and carols in other corners of the globe, Erzincan's silence was deafening. It was broken only by the cries of survivors and the creak of collapsing timber. This was a Christmas season not marked by joy, but by resilience in the face of ruin.

The Italian Hall Disaster (1913)

Shouting “fire” in a crowded theater is a classic cautionary tale, cited by law schools everywhere as an exception to the First Amendment. But for attendees at the 1913 Christmas Eve party at the Italian Hall, it wasn’t just a metaphor - it was a deadly reality. Striking copper miners and their families gathered for a holiday party that night in Calumet[b], Michigan. They sought a brief respite from their grueling fight against exploitative mine management. The hall was packed with joy and solidarity until an unidentified figure yelled “fire!” in the crowded room. Chaos erupted. There was no fire, but the rush to escape turned tragic as 73 people - most of them children - were crushed in the narrow staircase.

The Tangiwai[c] Train Disaster (1953)

Christmas Eve 1953 should have been a day of peace for New Zealanders, but nature had other plans. Mount Ruapehu’s volcanic crater silently burst, spilling a deadly mixture of mud, water and volcanic debris down its slopes. The raging torrent overwhelmed the nearby dam holding back the crater lake. It proceeded downwards weakening the rail bridge at Tangiwai. On Christmas Eve, an express train packed with holiday travelers barreled unknowingly toward disaster. The engineer saw the damage, but it was too late. He braked, saving the back half of the train as the front plunged into the Whangaehu[d] River below. Of the 285 passengers, 151 perished in the icy waters, making it New Zealand’s worst rail tragedy.

Library of Congress Burns (1851)

The Library of Congress has a history of fiery heartbreak. Its first collection ended in flaming ruin in 1814, when British troops torched the Capitol during the War of 1812. Congress rebuilt the nation's library the next year, purchasing over 6,000 volumes from Thomas Jefferson’s personal collection. But on Christmas Eve 1851, disaster struck again. A broken chimney flue sparked the conflagration in the library's main room. Nearly two-thirds of the book collection - including much of Jefferson’s priceless donation - was destroyed. All told, the fire devoured 35,000 books, manuscripts, and maps, turning what should have been a season of cheer into one of cultural loss.

Christmas Flood (1717)

Hollanders were treated to anything but a merry Christmas during the winter of 1717. As families gathered to celebrate, a devastating storm surge from the North Sea swept across the country, breaching dikes and inundating low-lying regions. Known as the Christmas Flood, it was one of the deadliest disasters in Dutch history and also affected Germany and Scandinavia. The icy waters claimed around 14,000 lives, leaving entire communities submerged and countless homes destroyed. Villages disappeared, livestock drowned, and survivors faced a frozen wasteland where holiday cheer was replaced by mourning. The Dutch, long masters of water management, were humbled by nature’s ferocity. The tragedy underscored the peril of living below sea level and sparked renewed efforts to fortify their defenses.

Ku Klux Klan Founded (1865)

The holiday season of 1865 was bittersweet. The Civil War had ended, slavery was abolished, and a nation began to heal. But it was also a time of profound uncertainty. Abraham Lincoln was gone, Reconstruction's uncertain future loomed, and not everyone embraced the promise of equality. On Christmas Eve in Pulaski[e], Tennessee, a small group of Confederate veterans met. Cloaking their revanchist ambitions in sinister secrecy, they founded the Ku Klux Klan. What began as a "fraternity" quickly became a terror organization. The KKK wielded violence and intimidation to uphold white supremacy and undermine the fragile progress of Reconstruction. Instead of goodwill and peace, these men sowed fear and hatred, casting a dark shadow over the country in the decades to come.

Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004)

Boxing Day, December 26th, 2004 began with joy but ended in unimaginable tragedy as the Indian Ocean unleashed one of history’s deadliest natural disasters. A massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that swept across more than a dozen countries, from Indonesia to East Africa. Entire villages were swallowed by walls of water, leaving devastation in their wake. Almost 230,000 lives were lost. Families were instantly torn apart, communities erased in moments. Beaches once filled with holiday revelers transformed into scenes of chaos and unimaginable destruction . The tsunami struck with little warning, its ferocity unmatched, turning a season of peace into one of worldwide mourning.

Black Christmas (1941)

December 7th 1941 will forever be remembered for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But, a day later, Japanese forces also launched their assault on the British colony of Hong Kong. Outnumbered more than two-to-one, Allied forces held their ground for 17 brutal days. But on Christmas Day, with defenses shattered and supplies exhausted, Hong Kong fell. For the survivors, surrender marked the beginning of a nightmare. Japanese troops unleashed a wave of atrocities. Executions of POWs, sexual violence against countless women, and mass looting spread throughout the city. Outlying villages were decimated. Civilians were starved to death or murdered outright. Afterwards, the end of the Battle of Hong Kong would come to be known as "Black Christmas."

Do you know of other horrors unleashed onto the world during the ‘most wonderful time of the year?’ Let us know in the comments below.

[a]AIR-ZIN-zshon / AIRZIN-zshawn https://youtu.be/G4KzEZuP1Hc?si=Knyb8PSmSqaC2nkR&t=94 OR https://forvo.com/word/erzincan/#tr
[b]cal-you-MET https://youtu.be/GFnBIhMjqtQ?si=-weDUI4YaxPnqHoc&t=15
[c]TUNGA-why (don't hit the "g" too hard - it's not tongue-guh) https://youtu.be/RaKo8zL7fa4?si=jwSTKatClJQinNVv&t=21
rua-PAY-hoo / roo-waw-PAY-hoo https://youtu.be/RaKo8zL7fa4?si=EjOjBkUelzJxZN5a&t=5
[d]funga-EE-hoo https://youtu.be/RaKo8zL7fa4?si=jwSTKatClJQinNVv&t=21 ("wh" in maori is an "f" sound)
[e]puh-LASS-kee https://youtu.be/PrkdyFH6qYs?si=fohjq9u1P7JSfOGX&t=13