"Christmas Traditions" by Mady Erickson
Photo by Mark Zamora on Unsplash
Last Christmas
suddenly, all the traditions I knew were gone.
Just like that.
It's as if they never even existed.
Before
We always went to Meme’s for Christmas.
Meme’s house is warm and cozy.
The stairs are really narrow.
I used to spend every weekend peeking over the banister edge,
and I love them.
Last Christmas
We went to my aunt’s house.
The house is huge and the yard is huge; everything is too huge.
In the middle of the kitchen, there’s this counter.
It’s kind of like a bar, but lower to the ground.
It is surrounded by a bunch of bar stools,
and the top is gray marble. It matches the other counter perfectly.
It’s absolutely huge, and I hate it.
Before
At Meme’s house, there's always this gigantic Christmas tree.
It's the tallest thing I’ve ever seen!
And boxes of presents are always packed under it.
The tree is comforting,
just sitting there waiting for me to see it.
It never fails to catch my eye.
Last Christmas
At my aunt’s house, there was no gigantic tree.
The tree was tiny and fake.
My dad was taller than the tree and it wasn’t comforting
because I didn’t get the same warm Christmas feeling.
The whole night was so different.
I hate when things change,
especially warm, fuzzy traditions.
Before
At Meme’s house, we always have prime rib.
As soon as the door opens,
I always smell the prime rib and the other delicious sides.
Meme always makes our favorites --
mashed potatoes and her famous three-layer pie for dessert.
My dad's favorite is her homemade green bean casserole.
He’s loved it since he was little, like how I’ve always loved her yummy pie.
Last Christmas
At my aunt’s house,
there were none of my favorite foods.
Just steak and chips and veggies.
None of my favorite desserts.
There were pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and brownies,
but nothing else, no pie and no cake.
Before
At Meme’s house
there are always loads of people but not a lot of pets.
Only one dog who hobbles around,
and groups of family members who walk in circles around me all the time.
Last Christmas
At my aunt’s house, there were five dogs.
Five dogs running around after each other and tripping all of us.
And there were thousands more people.
There were so many people wandering around my aunt's new house,
everybody was always in the way and I felt so trapped.
Not even able to breathe in some places.
Before
At Meme’s house, the traditions
felt so much more comfortable.
I felt like a little kid again, begging for our old routines.
Begging for the old traditions that I loved so much.
Christmas Eve has been the same for as long as I can remember.
Until last Christmas.
Mady Erickson is 13 years old; she lives in Orono, Maine and attends Orono Middle School in RSU 26. Some fun facts about Mady are that she has been dancing for ten years; she is on her school soccer team as well as cheering for her school. Mady has two dogs, Odie and Milo, who must be a big part of her Christmas celebrations each year.