by Katie Wellborn

Grammie's house smells like apple and pumpkin pie as little kids run up and down the stairs screaming or crying. Dads sit in front of the TV watching the football game. Moms stand around the kitchen counter catching up on all the gossip, and I watch or get involved in all the action. This is what the holidays mean to me. Every year my mom's side of the family gets together for Christmas dinner. All my aunts, uncles, and cousins are there. My favorite part of Christmas dinner is being with my family, the delicious food, and the festive Christmas atmosphere.

I have always been very close to my mom's side of the family. There are twelve cousins on my Mom's side and to me they are like brothers and sisters. I see my cousins frequently whether to baby sit, for a birthday, to decorate cookies, or to celebrate holidays like Christmas. At Christmas dinner, the kids have a play room upstairs in my grandparent's house. It can be wild with seven kids under eight including three six year old boys!

Sometimes I will venture upstairs to be sucked into a game of house or a boxing match. Mostly I try to stay clear of the chaos. Downstairs I find my parents, grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles, my older two cousins, and my brother and sister. This is where I spend most of my time visiting and gossiping about anything and everything and helping prepare Christmas dinner. It is times like this that I treasure with just being able to enjoy spending time with my family.

Though I love spending time with my family, my favorite part of Christmas dinner is the food. Every year we have a huge turkey of about 20-24 pounds. My grandfather gets to slice the turkey with my sister always helping to put the sliced turkey on a platter. I always help my mom make the gravy from the turkey juice. My favorite dish at Christmas dinner is the cranberry pears my grandmother makes where she bakes pears in cranberry sauce and serves them warm. Yum Yum! Between green beans, broccoli casserole, rolls, and mashed potatoes, everyone helps to bring something to the table.

Ever Christmas my grandmother's house is decked out with Christmas decorations both inside and outside. There is, of course, a beautiful fresh Frazier Fir Christmas tree filled with ornaments. There is also a Santa hat sign outside the front door telling Santa to stop there. Stockings with my mom's, aunt's, and uncle's names hang from the fireplace, and a chocolate advents calendar adorns the wall of the kitchen for all the cousins to share. Right when you walk in the door you hear Christmas music and the sound of voices talking and laughing. Everyone hears the beep of the door opening and yell out a Christmas greeting. All the little kids come to show you what Santa brought them and to show off all the gifts they got.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year between the music, the decorations, and the joy of having all your family near, there is nothing else I could ask for. This year’s Christmas will be extra special since I get to see my brother and sister, who started college this year and I don't see often, will be coming home for the holidays. The holiday season is a great time to think of the less fortunate and be thankful for what you have. Every year I wait for the time to be able to pull out the stocking and ornaments to start decorating for another holiday season.