Monday, 12/24/01 - 7:00 p.m..
Last night....well, today I went to bed at 1 am, because I was wrapping the presents. I got "The Princess Diaries" for Rebeca. She's been wishing for it everyday, since it came out. I really didn't want to give her that because she could rent it, plus she'll want to watch it everyday but then will get tired of it...maybe.
It was my last minute resource though. So I gave it to her, unwrapped, because she came to Blockbuster, too. Anyway, she didn't care. She already knows what's in every present, she's been shaking them all day long. And....hell, I'm finally done with presents. And the house has a decent christmas looking, with presents under the tree and stuff. Duh, just for tonight and tomorrow morning.
My family, as it exists now, has never had a christmas together. In 1997, Renan and his family left the country. They didn't spend christmas with us and the new family member, my sister;s kid, Javier. In 1998, my parents and I spent christmas with Renan and Co (in NY), while my two brothers, my sister and Javier stayed at home. In 1999, we all were split up. My sister was in Mexico with his kid, Renan and family were in Houston and the rest of us, at home. Last year, it was my sister and the kid, my brother Carlos and me here in Houston, and my parents and my brother Alan at home. It was even tougher, because we all know how nostalgic our parental units get, specially for christmas.
I'm hoping next year we all can get together at home. My dad, since 1997, goes to bed at night, and lies in it, with the lights off, crying in silence, nostalgic, waiting for the call of the child who's away from home (Renan and, these past two years, Nancy). Tonight, as almost every christmas' or New Year's Eve (sometimes both), Alan won't be home, because he's got to work at the hospital. I know my brother misses celebrating with the family. Last night, when I was wrapping presents, he started singing christmas songs. I noticed that all of the songs in spanish are sad, or at least, carry a sad tune. Or at least I can't really think of a happy one now. That made me cry, because while he was singing sad songs, I thought of my daddy, being sorry for all of us not being to be able together, cryin' in bed on Christmas' Eve, I thought of the poor people who...aw, shit. I won't even start.
Ok, let's see the happy side of all this. There's a huge, happy side. A few moments ago, my parents and my siblings were on the phone. Everybody here was talking to everybody there, hooray! Alan is on shift but he sneaked out of the hospital and dropped by the house.
As for us, the five of us, it's time to have dinner, then watch The Emperor's New Groove. I'll go help. Now that I think about it, this is truly an evening to look forward to....dinner, watch a movie, eat apple pie, drink hot chocolate...together. It's all good.
*Simeon puts on his Santa Claus cap, claps and brings in the whole gang to par-tay*
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