The Joys of Christmas

So it's that time of year again- time to put those coats that wrap around you multiple times on and enjoy the magical sensation of winter, with the white glistening flakes falling on the ground, warm apple crisp straight from the oven, and Christmas right around the corner. Sorry for all of you stressed about Thanksgiving, but I just can't help but wish for that time of year where everything seems like it did when you were younger, magical and slightly mysterious, where the sounds of bells and sleigh rides race through the streets in a cacophany of trumpet blares and flute trills, where lights are strung up all through town, making streets look welcoming and homey, and with snow racing to the ground, fat puffs of downy softness that tantalize your tongue with the thought of the cool soothing taste of winter as it blankets the ground like a quilt made of goose feathers, so light and airy that you are afraid to step on it in case it is just a dream. I love this time of year, for it is the one time that I really get to spend with my family, my boisterous small family who are often very spread out now that my sister and i have grown up and my mother is retired. Yet, Christmas is that time of year where nothing can go wrong, where you feel safe and cossetted in your house, as you watch the wind howl and descecrate tress outside, a fire cheerfully smiles at you inside, lapping at the doors of the woodstove, warming both the house and the hearts of the inhabitants, and where the smell of warm soul food fills the air, with turkeys and meat glistening with the rich fat and protein of their own juices, of mashed potatoes whipped into a frothy conconction, the butter melting upon the mounds of rich whiteness, staining it yellow, swirling its lusciosness in artistic patterns that make the potatoes look like mountains, cropped with a yellow peak, and the desserts, splendid and majestic, so beautiful it is hard to cut into them for it is a little like slashing into a major work of art. This is what I have been waiting for for the entire year. This is what makes leaving home okay, that knowing that this is what I will come back to, that this will never change, for it won't. It will always be the same.
We might have different things to eat and there might be some years where the presents under the tree are a little sparse, like our pockets in this time of crises, but that isn't what matters. What will always be there for me is the knowlege that i have a place to go home to, where worries cannot find me, where i can rest in peace, and that I will always be loved, regardless of what gift I give people. In our family, it isn't so much about the gifts (that is not to say that my parents do not give me lovely gifts, or that I do not enjoy this), but Christmas is about more than that. It is about love, it is about sacrifice (for those who are Christian), and it is about the familal joy and comfort that humans can take and give each other. It is about the family coming together and celebrating their life, and this is what I love about Christmas. Even in Farmington, which is where I live now in the dormitories, Christmas is beautiful. The days leading up to vacation, I often spend walking the streets, drinking in the sights and smells of this season. I walk all around town, my ugg boots making fresh tracks in the pristine snow, untouched by any hand or foot for my friend and I are often the first ones to tread on the white canvas in front of us. Bundled up against the cold, our noses and cheeks turning bright cherry red, and our lips becoming a slash of red in otherwise pale cheeks like poppies among the brown ground, and we look like children again, vibrant, alive and excited, with red lips as though we had just eaten a popsicle. My roomate's brown eyes are dancing as if doing the Irish jig,and snow pools on her head, dusting her dark straight hair with shimmery highlights. She looks like a cookie, all fresh and slightly dusted with confectionary sugar, and I can't help but laugh at the sight of us in our coats, looking for all the world like fat robins as we are swaddled and wrapped in layer after layer of fabric, concealing whatever shapes we once had. Mirth bubbles up like champagne from my chest, and like music, my laughter rings out in the quiet silence of the street in a timeless dance. The bells toll from the church and my roomate and I stop and listen, afraid to move in case we break the spell of enchantment that comes upon us as we hear the sweet chiming of innocence and peace caroling through the winding pathways, its haunting cords slicing through the darkest recessess and shadows to bring light and fulfillment to everyone who hears it.
So let us hope that this Christmas will be like all other Christmases, and let us hope for a white Christmas! And remember, don't get too stressed about presents and material goods, but instead emphasize what Christmas is really about (whether you are Christian or not), for it is not a holiday that should be used to discriminate against any other religion. Instead, for eveyrone out there, think of Christmas as a time of love and peace, where you can reuniting with family, and return to childhood innocence for a little while. Enjoy the snow and remember the magic of it all, when you were child and saw your first snow storm, and listen to the music for it is light and airy, and its melodies raise us up and allow us to escape our humdrum lives for a little bit. During Christmas time, we are like birds, soaring above whatever miseries we have, content to float in a mindless splendor.
SO HAPPY HOLIDAYS FOR ALL!