The Letters From Argo Springfield

7th Letter

25/01/2013

Dear friend,

It is Christmas day today! I’m wishing you a merry Christmas! Well, if you are not celebrating Christmas, happy Hanukah then! You know what; if you are not celebrating at all I hoped that you still have a kick ass day today! Christmas is the only day of the year that I am looking forward too. There are so many things that I love about Christmas and some of them are the Christmas lightings, the decorations, the festivity mood and not forgetting the food. I felt that today is such a magical day. Even though I am old enough, I still write letters to Santa and left for him cookies and milk in case he drops by. I still believe in him and I don’t see anything wrong with that.

The day started earlier than any other days. I was out of bed by six in the morning with the feeling of joy and glee in me. I felt like a kid again. Like a child who simply can’t wait to receive his Christmas presents and ripped the wrappings apart. Just like a child who simply can’t wait to eat the Christmas food especially the ice-cream and cookies. In other words, I just felt young again. I know that it’s funny for a teen to say that.

Christmas was a big deal to me; it was the time of the year where I can spend my time together with my family. We are not a close knit family as everyone is preoccupied. My father would be working each day, my mother does work part-time if the need arise, my brother who is currently in his university and lastly my sister who is doing her A Levels. Time flies for them as they are constantly thinking ahead of time. Rather than live momentarily, they all live infinitely. Not ever once that they would stop for a while and enjoy the moment. They would always be expecting the future and when the future arrived, they would expect even more. I felt that it’s such a waste as they are not able to appreciate the moment now. I felt that these little things, such as being content with the moment, are the one that would matters the most.

The Christmas food was a joint effort by everyone in the family. Each of us was tasked to help out with the Christmas recipes and the cooking of it. My mother is the women in charge for the day and we would have listened to her instructions regarding on what to do next. It had become a tradition for us to fix the food on Christmas day. I think that it was because that everyone was busy and today is the only day that we are all free. So instead of pushing all the work to my mother, all of us would help out. I felt pleasurable each time when this happens as I felt that this is our family bonding time together. Different family had their own activities to do such as going on hikes, road trips or camping. But mine was preparing the Christmas food. I know that others would see it as weird but personally I like it.

The Christmas dinner was indeed magnificent. The food tasted great to me not because of the cooking skills but due to the joint efforts by everyone. The conversations on the dinner table were to catch up with how everyone was doing respectively. There would be questions liked ‘how was school’ to my brother and sister to ‘how are you doing for your work assignment’ to my father and mother. It was dry. They did try to involve me in their conversations but I don’t really have much to say. I would just nod and smiled to whatever they were saying. I hoped that it doesn’t seem rude to them. They did ask me questions and try to be sensitive with me but I would say that I am doing fine. I usually said that as I don’t know what else am I supposed to answer. Are they asking it for the sake of asking or they would sincerely really want to know how I was doing? Nevertheless, telling that I was fine was the right choice of answer as I don’t want them to worry.

After the meals, we exchanged presents with one another. From the look of their faces, they did seem happy with my gifts, well except for my brother. His face changed when he opened the presents and in that instant I knew that he didn’t like it. He tried to be nice and said that he was happy with it. But the look on his face was otherwise. I felt pretty bad at that instant. I knew that I should have not brought him that. No matter how much he said that he appreciate the gift, I still feel like I did not managed to buy for him something that he deserves.

Knowing my hobbies, they had bought for me several books to read along with notebooks. The notebooks are the ones that I would usually write things down. The books that they bought were alright for me. Honestly, I am happy with their gifts but it’s just that I still had not overcome my brother reactions. I took those books and went up to my room to start reading one of them. Right then, all I want was the silence that I deserve.

Yours truly,

Argo