Holidays & Birthdays in Prison | Noah’s Story

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Hey guys, Noah, here. It’s December 9th today. I guess, my birthday.

As you can imagine, these dates can be tough times to be in prison. You aren’t exactly surrounded by the people of your choosing unless the date(s) fall on a visiting day and you are able to get a visit, but then you are not exactly at the place of your choosing either, you are still stuck in prison.

I am turning 34 today, and each year this date has meant less and less to me. It has simply been a marker of how many more birthdays I have to spend in prison until I’m out.

I have even chosen to let a few pass by without telling anyone, the only notification of my birthday was the emails from a few friends and family who remembered wishing me the best. And of course the phone call to my daughter Melrose (because she can’t call me), the most important wish I get each year.

It probably doesn’t sound like it right now, but I don’t let this date get me down too much. It’s my daughter’s birthday that really gets the emotions turning in me each year I miss it. But I always pull it together, give her a call, and sing for her as loud as I can…even if there are five other guys in the phone room, because they all know.

I’m sharing this date with you guys today because it’s a good day, this is the last birthday I will miss for both myself and Melrose, because next year at this time, I should be stuck somewhere else, on home confinement, which sounds a lot better then here!

How about Holidays in prison?

I have never really been one to get home sick, even though my family and our holidays together are a ton of fun. Although I was so terrible towards the end at being home and present with them, I miss these gatherings with my family more than ever. There’s always 50+ of us coming and spending the entire day together laughing, vegging out and playing games and I’m counting down the days to be back together with them again and make up for lost time.

But some people dive into a deep depression in here and try to drag others down with them when the holidays roll around. Negative vibes and bad moods can be contagious, and before you know it, it looks like the walking dead around the compound and everyone is infected.

There are some good things, of course, that the prison does provide around the holidays that are pleasant. For one the food is really good on holidays. The prison orders real turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, and then for Christmas and New Year, we get two more meals that rival any holiday meal I have had on the street. However, I’ve heard Yankton is a lot more generous than other prisons when it comes to this.  

There is also plenty of football to watch, so for me, I can escape and at least temporarily trick my body into thinking that I am somewhere else, even if it’s for a short period.

Recreation also orders eight R-rated (edited) movies for us to watch. These are always the best movies that we see all year, because even though we are a bunch of grown men, the Bureau of Prisons doesn’t allow us to watch any R-rated movies, so you can only imagine how many I have to catch up on after my release. Ha! 

Last but not least, we get a big bag of candy, which everyone says gets smaller and smaller every year, but this will be my 7th, and I believe the first six have all been the exact same size, but I guess that’s those negative vibes I mentioned. Once the bags are distributed, the bartering begins, and you try to trade your non-preferred items for ones you like.

Thanksgiving is just wrapping up as I type this, and it was a success. I ruined my diet with a variety of pumpkin flavored desserts, including pie, cheesecake, and cookies. But they gave us to-go bags for supper and I used my bag to make a delicious bagel sandwich, with turkey, ham, roast beef, and bacon. It was amazing and I feel like I am about to burst as I type this.

But by the time you read this post, it’ll be my birthday, and I will be in a similar condition, as eating is a great way to mask your feelings while incarcerated, you just simply eat your emotions away.

Thanks for listening and Happy Holidays, I love you guys!
Noah