Fans of the seasonal favorite "A Christmas Story" probably can't look at a Christmas turkey without thinking of the Bumpus hounds.

Those were the neighborhood dogs who broke into the Parkers' home, stole the freshly roasted turkey from the kitchen table and left little more than the delicious odor of that golden bird behind. The family ended up eating their Christmas meal at a Chinese restaurant.

Growing up in our household, we had our own version of a Bumpus hound. She was a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Molly, and she once cleaned out our entire Easter baskets, foil-wrapped chocolates and all, while we were away at church.

She was lucky to survive, in more ways than one.

Later in life, one Halloween Eve, my two kittens somehow dragged a paper-wrapped venison roast off the counter, through the kitchen and all the way down to the end of the hallway before losing interest. I came home to find a trail of blood and a lump of raw meat coated in cat hair.

But it doesn't require an animal to have a holiday meal disaster.

Grandma once stuck a ham in the oven, having forgotten to remove the plastic wrap. A co-worker once put a raw turkey in a spare refrigerator not realizing -- until nearly a week later -- it wasn't plugged in.

Another co-worker remembers the holiday when someone put a pot of meat drippings intended for gravy in the sink, only to have someone else wash their hands over it.

All of these anecdotes elicit a big, fat "duh!" Maybe even a forehead smack and a few curse words.

Hopefully, however, as the years go by and the anger and/or embarrassment mellow, the memories have also begun to elicit a chuckle or two.

We're betting just about everyone has a giggle-worthy holiday meal disaster story to tell, and this year we'd love to share yours. So delve into those memories of yore and weave a tale of foodie failure.

We'll pick some and print them in an upcoming issue of Extra. Just remember, we'll be laughing with you, not at you.

-- Lindsey Nair

Submission details:

* Your holiday meal disaster story should be no more than 250 words

* You can either e-mail them to extra@roanoke.com or mail them to Lindsey Nair, Holiday Meal Disaster, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, VA 24010

* Please include your full name, hometown and phone number for verification purposes.

* Stories chosen for publication will be subject to editing.

* Deadline for submission is Dec. 2