Family Tradition

Twinkling lights, smell of sugar cookies in the oven and music in the background remind me of Christmas. Every year the smell of pine floods the room and invades our nose as we place ornaments on each small branch. The arm of the tree quietly being weighed down in protest. Each ornament carefully placed to avoid it being too crowded. Hand-made ornaments decorate the tree from the top to the bottom. My mother plays Christmas music as she directs us where to place the ornaments. Joy and love fills my mother's eyes as we dress our tree. Other decorations litter the house, reds and greens are scattered, gold peaks around every corner. The familiar smell of sugar cookies invades my nose. Cookies of all shapes and sizes are spread out on pans, ready to be dressed. Blobs of frosting smother the cookies as we sprinkle candies and goodies. Outside, all is quiet, snow falls slowly to caress the earth. My family and I settle down with our cookies to get in the winter wonderland. This is Christmas.