Reflecting on Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the music, lights, and smell of pine and nutmeg. I love cozying up on the couch and watching movies, and of course having hot chocolate while I do so. Despite all this, my favorite thing about Christmas is seeing my family. I love being in a house full of people laughing and talking. It’s such a nice feeling to be surrounded by loved ones enjoying each others’ company. In years past, we’ve played games, watched movies, opened gifts, cooked, and ate, but this year everything is going to look different. This year, I’ll be spending the holidays with only my parents and younger brother. I feel that this year hasn’t felt like the holidays, let alone anything at all, to be honest.

My family has hosted Christmas Eve as long as I can remember. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents on my dad’s side all come over for a party. My cousins and I play games like Uno and Sorry, but my personal favorite is Twister. Somehow, we all end up on top of eachother laughing hysterically by the third round, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. To eat, we have mini hotdogs, Chick-fil-a, chips and dip, mini meatballs, punch, soda, and pretty much any other appetizer you can think of. I love standing in the kitchen and getting the chance to talk to my family that I don’t see often. It’s fun to catch up with them and compare our years. Later on in the night everyone exchanges gifts as well as tons of hugs and thank-yous. The relatives then start to file out and the day concludes.

On Christmas day, I go to my aunt’s house to visit my mom’s side of the family. I
see a lot of my relatives that I don’t usually see during the year. We all spend time catching up, and then my cousins and I escape to the basement to watch movies and listen to music. My aunt makes a really nice Christmas dinner consisting of ham, macaroni and cheese, rolls, salad, potatoes, broccoli, and pineapple bake. Although I can’t offer my opinion on the adult table, the kids table is a lot of fun. After dinner, we are presented with an array of desserts that quickly disappears. The meal is followed by gift-giving, and once again, hugs and thank-yous are exchanged.

Every year after leaving my aunt’s, I have this bittersweet feeling. I am surely grateful that the holiday was spent with friends and family, but sorrowful that I have to wait a year to do it again. Despite the fact my family won’t be celebrating Christmas like we usually do, I’m also excited for a bit of a change. My family has been contemplating doing dinner ourselves or hosting our family一after quarantining of course. Despite the current situation, I believe it isn’t permanent and there is also next year to think about. From my family to yours, I hope your holiday season is wonderful. I hope you get the chance to see your loved ones, whether that’s in person or over the phone.