As the holidays come around, memories from the past begin to resurface as well. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. The decorated homes, the rush of holiday shopping, the movies and everything in between. But most of all, I love the memories that are created during Christmas time each year.
When I was 5 years old, Christmas decorations looked like toys to me, especially the ornaments that went on the tree. My mom decorated the tree with all kinds of ornaments, but there was one that caught my eye the most. It was a clear sphere with fake snow and the Coca-Cola polar bear inside, holding a mini coke. I always wanted to play with it, but my mom specifically told me not to grab it.
But one day, the temptation to grab it took over my 5-year-old self. I walked out of my room and peeked inside my mom’s room to see what she was doing and saw her napping. She wasn’t awake to stop me, so I walked over to the tree and tried to take the ornament. But I quickly realized I wasn’t sneaky enough. I heard the tree’s branches rustling and, as I looked up, the tree was coming down at me. I had pulled the ornament too hard, and the silence throughout the house suddenly broke.
Luckily, I was able to run away from the tree before it fell on me; nonetheless, I was unable to run away from my mom. She immediately came out of her room and froze after seeing the tree on the floor with most of the ornaments broken. I honestly don’t remember much after that, but one thing I learned was to stop being an impulsive child. Although this seemed like a mishap at the moment it happened, my family and I now look back and laugh at it.
Every Christmas season I remind myself of how much of a blessing it is to keep sharing memories like this with my loved ones. I believe life is captured through moments so, although time seems to pass by fast, the moments we share and laugh about with others is what keeps us grounded. That is part of why I love Christmas so much: It feels like I come together with my family and create memories that I can look back at even after years.
