Rock the Night Away
What is the right time to rock the night away? Christmas of course! Sure it is the perfect time to ride in a one-horse sleigh, but that is not why I like it so much. It is a one month season and it all starts with picking out the perfect tree, then Christmas Eve dinner, and opening presents on Christmas morning. So it goes without saying that Christmas time is definitely worth the 364 day wait!
Getting our tree is without a doubt my favorite part of the Christmas season, and it is also the first. Every year on November 29th, my family and I pile into our burnt red Toyota Sienna and head over to Home Depot. And I know it may not seem like it, but Home Depot’s Christmas Tree Nursery is truly magical when the sun goes down. It is a lamp lit haven with tall, majestic concrete walls and a roof made out of the starry night sky, not to mention it is simply BRIMMING with beautiful, snow dusted evergreens! As I walk through the rows of Christmas trees, the aroma of pine fills my nostrils and I am instantly transported to an enchanted Christmas forest were snow blankets the ground and my breath dances before me as I exhale. Then there it is: the tree, my tree. The tall Noble Fur that I have been waiting for all year long. I motion for my family to come see, and we all exchange one thought: this is our tree. Two friendly workers come and carry the tree to our car, and my little sisters are mesmerized as they strap it to the roof. And before I know it, it is sitting in our living room trimmed with lights and all, ready for Christmas.
“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature stirring, not even a mouse.” Well, at least not in my house! In my family, Christmas Eve is one big, floor-shaking fiesta. The whole famiglia comes over and we feast on, in uncle Renzo’s words “Some good gabagoul!” This “gabagoul” includes the seven fishes, endless Panetone’s, and my Nona’s famous Chistmas ham! We stuff ourselves silly and party like its 1999. So after dinner, we exchange presents and watch holiday specials on TV. And as much fun as it all is, in Cousin Gino’s famous words, we all “hit the sack” around 11:30. And as soon as the family is all gone, I begin my pre-Christmas rounds. I put milk and cookies next to the tree, make sure the fire is put out in the fire place (so jolly old nick does not burn himself on the way down), and plug in our tree lights. Only then an I go to bed knowing that the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nick soon would be there.
The next morning, I am half asleep when I realize it’s Christmas! I am magically awake as I rip off my blanket and jump out of bed. My brother and sisters follow me as I race down the stairs. But in the midst of my sprint, I stop short and my eyes b ecome the size of dinner plates. Beautiful presents clad in ornate wrapping paper lounge beneath our elegant tree. Its fragrant branches loom above the presents as if handing them off to us. Without another moment to spare, we dash towards our gifts, and with tear happy hands rip them open corner by corner. My parents and I watch from the safe distance of the stairs and laugh at the sight of my sisters mauling their presents. But no gift is worth more than seeing the ear to ear grins on their faces as they unwrap their new toys and games. The rest of the day is spent playing new video games, reading new books, or in my case, trying on new clothes. And it is truly a bitter sweet moment as I go to bed thinking that the Christmas season, and all the work that goes along with it, are finally over.
So after the branches of the once beautiful Christmas tree have become brown and brittle, and after the smell of the Christmas feast no longer lingers in the air, and even after new toys are labled old and forgotten, the memories will never fade. Why? Because the Christmas season was full of friends, family, laughter, and togetherness. And you know what; a 364 day wait for the next on may not be so bad after all!
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