SUPPRESSION •Complete•

CHRISTMAS EVE

CHRISTMAS EVE

Christmas Eve is tomorrow, I think it finally clicked for my family. My dad went out this morning and bought a fake tree, lights and all. Mom went up to the attic and grabbed a box of ornaments. We spent the whole morning hanging random ornaments on the plastic branches of the artificially green colored tree. Mom even got into the whole Christmas mood and made hot coco and dug out an old CD full of Christmas classics.

It wasn't perfect, far from it, but I found myself smiling and just enjoying the time spent with my family. My dad would belt out the few lyrics he knew to the Christmas song and my mom would giggle at his attempt at dancing. I found myself letting out a squeaky giggle at his antics. Peanut made it his job to bark every time dad let out an off key note. Eventually my mom would stop laughing and join him in sing the wrong lyrics to a song. Peanut would jump around their feet, barking and nipping at their heals. I watched them, amused as I sipped my hot coco. This was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

After the tree was decorated mom declared it was time for some last minute shopping. We had to buy a total of eight presents for the Christmas Eve party tomorrow. Mom and dad spent a whole three hours bickering over presents. Mom wanted to buy expensive things that our family probably wouldn't want and dad wanted to buy cheap things that would break the day after Christmas. At one point dad talked me into getting ice cream so my mom could shop for presents for me. She slyly snuck away to the car to hide them in the trunk.

It was freezing and a few thick layers of snow covered the ground. That doesn't seem to affect a child's desire for ice cream. The line for the ice cream shop was ten people long. It took forever, but chocolate mint chip was always worth it in the end.

I finished my ice cream and mom finished her frenzy of shopping. She whipped out so many coupons I was surprised her purse hadn't overflowed. She then produced a twenty five dollar gift certificate to the local barbecue grill. Dad got a big plate of ribs, mom ordered a hamburger and I got a small plate of buffalo wings. I only ate two wings, mom and dad helped me with the rest.

I went to sleep happy that night, even thought I got two paper cuts from from helping my mom wrap presents. In the morning we woke up bright and early. Dad attempted to make pancakes, but mom ended up whipping up some french toast. We ate in silence then loaded the car full of presents. It was a two hour drive to my grandparents house and dad wanted to beat the morning rush.

Peanut took residence on my mom's lap, much to her annoyance. Peanut wasn't that furry, but mom found any piece of hair to be a problem. Dad flipped through the radio stations until he found a Christmas station. It started snowing on the highway, big white flakes landing against the windshield only to be swiped a away within seconds. I found myself just staring out the window, watching the flakes fall to the ground and disappearing into the layers of snow that had already accumulated.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know we're pulling into my grandparent's drive way.

A few cars were already along the grass. Grandpa's pickup truck that has to be thirty years old is in the same spot it always is. Uncle Chris's grey BMW is the only car parked in the driveway and Abby's used BMW is parked next to Zach's decade old Mercedes. I didn't see Victor's brand new Mini Van anywhere so I assumed he wasn't here yet.

Dad parked the car along side Zach's Mercedes on the front lawn. We slowly got out and trudged to the trunk to grab a few presents. Grandpa's house was a small two story brick house with a lot of land in the middle of nowhere. His property stretches for miles, although, my Uncle Joe was steadily selling it off acre by acre.

When we reached the door Uncle Chris was there to greet us with a simple nod. Aunt Patricia helped us set the presents under the small tree, at least it was real.