Diary of a College Senior

Dec 2 - In the Holiday Spirit

Saturday, December 2, 2017

I've never been the type of kid who gets excited for Christmas. Maybe it's because of my Chinese upbringing.

During my childhood in China, my mom would always hide a bunch of candy around the house, inside slippers, underneath pillows, and behind random decorations. I'd wake up on the morning of December 25th all excited to go on a hunt around the house for candy. Then I'd spend the rest of the day eating the candy and that was it for Christmas.

I have no idea where my mom got the hiding candy idea from. It's like a weird combination of Christmas and Easter. Regardless, she stopped doing this when we moved to Canada. And soon, the candies were replaced by proper presents under a Christmas tree.

Even though the presents did make me happy, they still did not replace the empty feeling deep down when I hear stories of extended families gathering around. Over the years, I've kind of gotten used to it and I tell myself that at least have my immediate family here with me. I've also made friends who are in similar situations - international friends, friends who have moved here from other provinces, and we'd spend some days going out together.

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I didn't mean to start this entry with those rather depressing thoughts. I'm actually quite excited for the holidays this year. Partly because Zoe, dad, and I are going to Cancun for a week (mom cannot go because of her work), and partly because this horrible year is almost over.

Last weekend, dad spend a whole day decorating the house with Christmas lights. It was too cold to go out so I watched from my bedroom window as he climbed ladders and hung the lights. The whole time, Zoe was climbing around in the snow on our front lawn, dressed in her snowsuit while Oreo followed her around.

I've also decided to buy Christmas gifts for both mom and dad. For mom, I got a food processor which I thought would come in handy when she cooks. And for dad, I got him a Swiss Army knife since he is quite an outdoors guy. I haven't decided what to get for Zoe yet, but probably I'll buy her a book since she loves to read. I am thinking about 'Holes' as I loved it when I was a kid and we don't have a copy of it in the house.

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Yesterday, I also went to my first Christmas party/gathering of the season. It was with other volunteers of the Tea Club. There was lots of great food and even a gingerbread making contest!

My group ended up making a rainbow out of candy on the roof of the house and everyone thought it was so unique. Another group's house completely collapsed because they didn't wait for the icing to dry before decorating. We all had a good laugh over it and I thought it was great to see everyone again.

As for school, there is officially one week of classes left. Then, I have to prepare for my final exams which take place over the course of another week and a half. And then it's vacation time!