christmas eve.

wow wow wooooowwwwww.

at 23, i am still that little kid who can't sleep on christmas eve.
we had the 7 fishes dinner with our neighbors, who are like my second family. it would be an understatement to just call them neighbors, especially in this day. we always begin with opwatek, a Polish tradition that includes breaking off pieces of wafer and offering good wishes to people for the new year. then, there was the feast. this year, my fave was the scallops. yummy. annual picture. gifts. dessert. conversation.

but my 2nd favorite part of the night can never be explained in full. it's the walk back home. always a cold night. i close my eyes and can picture myself as a little girl, full of the excitement of knowing that the morning would bring a special breakfast, gifts, and lots of laughs. it seems like the walk across the street would take minutes. though now, in a couple of strides, i'm home. but once i leave the agresti's door, i take in a deep breath in hopes of catching a whiff of the remnants of a fire in the fireplace, i look up in anticipation of the little sparkles of stars, and in one hand, my new gift, and in the other, my mom's hand. it's always silent. and those couple of seconds before anyone starts to talk about the night, i hear nothing. and it's peaceful.  this year, it was cloudy, but it doesn't matter. cuz when i look up on christmas eve, there are always stars in my sky. and sometimes, i can even hear the jingle bells...