A Christmas Tradition, 2005, by Beth Avis

From MemoryArchive

Who: Beth Avis
What: A Christmas Tradition
When: Every year on December 21st 
Where: My grandma's house

December 21. Every year on this day it is sort of a tradition for my family and I to go to my grandma’s house to decorate the Christmas tree. My whole family gets together on this day because it was my Papaw’s birthday. Mimi (my grandma) makes chili for everyone and we all sit and eat together, the adults talking about what is happening in the world, and about our daily lives. The kids, my cousins, brother, sisters, and I, mostly sit there, listening and laughing at all the randomly hilarious things they talk about. There are so many different conversations going on that it is impossible to keep up with it all! After we finish eating, my whole family of about 50 goes into the tiny front room of Mimi’s house. We watch two or three of my uncles carry in the huge Christmas tree that they had chopped down that morning. Pine needles are falling all over the floor, and a few of my cousins are playing Christmas songs on the piano, with the smaller kids trying to play beside them. They get the tree up, and it is always too tall for the room, so it scrapes the ceiling and leans over a little. A few of my aunts and uncles put the lights up on the tree, and my uncle Keith always gets to put the multicolored star on top.

My aunts start to hand all the kids their ornaments. We put them all on, with the occasional one falling off and breaking. When we are done, it looks like the tree is overloaded with ornaments. After this, what seems like hundreds of presents are stacked under the tree, and when that is all full, they are put on the books shelves until they are covered also. The adults slowly float out of the room in small groups. The cousins who are my age and I stay in there, enjoying the beautiful sight of the tree with all its many decorations and colorful lights while eating Christmas goodies and treats. We talk about school, our friends, and other things that are important to us. Usually, a few of my cousins will come over to our house and spend the night. We’ll stay up partying all night, playing video games, hide-n-go-seek in the dark, jumping on the trampoline, watching movies, and talking about how excited we are for Christmas.

I love spending Christmas in this way every year. It is so much fun to be around my family who has supported me in good times and bad, and helped me through all my problems. I am so lucky to have them. Christmas, for me, really is the most wonderful time of the year!