Being home for Thanksgiving break was everything I needed, full of rest, good television, family love, and food! And while being home for a week was amazing, it made me greedy for Christmas break. Nostalgia hits me every holiday, no matter the season, but Christmastime is full of fun childhood memories. To make these two weeks of finals go by with minimal pain, I figured reflecting on some of my favorite Christmas memories was the way to do it.
One of the earliest memories of Christmas I have is a tradition that my family still upholds, even 20 years later. As most families, our family has a hanging calendar counting down the days until Christmas. Our calendar is an old green thing that has a tiny mouse that moves from space to space. Growing up, I would wake up excited every day to ask my mom if I could move the mouse over. Of course, now my mom moves the mouse because I am at school for most of those days, but whenever I come home after strenuous finals, to say that calendar on the wall, it takes all my stress away.
What is the holiday season without an abundance of food?! Every year, my mom goes way out and bakes just about every type of sweet under the sun (not that I am complaining, of course). But there is one specific treat that she makes every single year that I impatiently wait for: chocolate fudge. I know, basic things. But my mom makes the best fudge, among other things. Small squares, full of walnuts and gooey, this is by far my favorite treat. One time, when I was about nine, my mom had the material laid out to make fudge. I waited all day, and by the time she made it, my patience was gone. I begged for hours and she caved and let me eat a half hardened piece that wasn’t ready. But I enjoyed every bite. I still look forward to mom's baking every year.
But one of my favorite traditions did not start until four years ago when our family grew in numbers and love. Even when my oldest sister moved out, our traditions stayed the same. We all opened one present on Christmas Eve, ate dinner, and woke up the next morning for presents. But in 2012, the coolest thing happened to our family: my sister had a baby! My niece, Olivia, is a firecracker and has been since the moment she was born. She makes all of our lives full of life and laughter! But with a new baby, some of our traditions had to change. Now, instead of opening our presents early on Christmas morning, we go to see Olivia and her baby brother, Trevor, open their presents! With two little ones in our family, Christmas feels magical again. This is probably my favorite tradition of all.
These next two weeks of class, tests, papers, and tears will be long and hard, but knowing I can go home to our calendar, mom’s fudge, and our babies makes all the hard work worth it!
