2️⃣029: i'll be Home for christmas🎄

Todos los años adornan luces de navidad por la Ramírez de Arellano desde Garden Hills Plaza hasta Los Filtros, pero nunca me preguntaba quién paga esa electricidad.

Y todos los años el alcalde pasa por mi urbanizción a regalar bolas plásticas, pero su guagua nunca daba la vuelta por mi calle.

And it’s not like it was a poorly lit street, there were plenty of streetlights. Maybe more than other streets because we had the park. Or is the park scary because it’s a big open space that’s empty at night? That’s where the older kids would go to smoke, at the far end of the playground near the fence in the gazebo with the light that never turned on. You’d flip the switch, and it would flicker a few times before going dark. I guess that’s a little scary. It’s the suburbs anyway, what kind of street are you even supposed to be scared of in a gated community?

Pero eso de fumar en el gazebo depende de la edad porque eventualmente se paraban a fumar al lado de los carros en el parking porque ya que carajo.

And it used to be that everyone was home during the holidays because there wasn’t college to go away to or even thought of living on your own. Well, except for the people who always went to see the snow, that was seldom us.

I can only remember opening presents in the morning for a few years. After that, it was always en Noche Buena. For years, I still thought it was Santa delivering the presents. I remember one year around 11 pm, my uncle came in running from the street, “¡Lo acabo de ver! ¡Vi a Santa Clos!” My eyes lit up like Kevin McAllister and all his cousins at the end of Home Alone 2 when they wake up to the room filled with hundreds of gifts 🤩 I ran outside, head on a swivel as I looked up to the sky, looking for a reindeer or a sign or a sound or anything. “Ah, just missed him,” my uncle said in a convincingly disappointed tone of voice. I walked back into the house, head slouched, thinking about how I blew my opportunity. I’d have to wait another 364 days (again) to try to get a glimpse of the man himself. But as I looked up from the floor and towards the Christmas tree, there they were, ALL THE PRESENTS 🤩 Presents for every single one of the 20+ family and friends gathered at my home. Even if you weren’t immediate family, my mom would always have a present for you if she knew ahead of time you were coming.

That’s just the way we do it 🏠

Those are the types of moments you need to cherish because one day they stop happening and you don’t realize it until decades later. Even if they happen again, they’ll never be the same.

We used to set off so many firecrackers on the street, it looked like a war zone after everything was said and done. Sometimes the police would drive by and see all these “illegal” fireworks, but they never said anything. We’d just stand there silently as they drove by us and didn’t even say “Felicidades.” In those days, society agreed that if you didn’t see people doing something wrong at the moment, there was no wrong to be righted. It’s different now. Today, people think you’re doing something wrong when you’re not even doing anything at all.

We always locked the dogs in the bathroom upstairs because they were scared of all the fireworks. Funny how we just blame the dogs for being “cowards” instead of asking ourselves whether these things we were exploding making noise and sending tiny bits of paper and plastic and waste into the air were the problem. Nobody ever cleaned up the mess in the street, at least not that I know of. We’d just throw shit everywhere and be like ok that was awesome let’s do it again in a few days and then the year after that, every year forever.

When you’re younger, you always think forever is possible. Your short-lived experience can’t comprehend how forever is a fucklong amount of time.

As long as something is kinda fun it can’t be bad right? It’s only bad because some “sensitive” people today decided it was bad. It’s not like it was ever bad in the first place. Everything humans have ever done is good. If we decide dozens of years later it’s a bad thing it’s only because we’re too sensitive in the future. We need to be tougher, like in the old days.

Everyone must grow handlebar mustaches while carrying a briefcase and wearing a full three-piece suit anytime they leave the house regardless of the weather 👨💼

Let’s bring back kids working in factories while we’re at it. (EDITOR’S NOTE: I wrote this as a joke, but two years later it actually happened.)

Also, casually drinking scotch at 10:30 am. Let’s bring that back too 🥃

The air is different this time of year. Not because it’s literally different because of the seasons and the Earth’s distance from the sun, but there’s a certain sense of hope you don’t get other times during the year.

I can’t remember the last time we had a Noche Buena or Año Nuevo like one of those I’m always remembering.

Every year I’m able to go back home for the holidays most of my friends are out. And then when I stay out (of the island) most of my friends are able to go home. I think that’s just life. But it’s taught me to appreciate the moments even more.

I’ve spent so many Thanksgivings away from Home—it’s about the moment and the feeling though, not always the people.

How long can I get away with buying the minimum number of gifts for everyone I need to?

It’s a weird time of year to feel alone, even when you’re surrounded by people.

I didn’t 💜💜 last year but I’m going to this year 🤍💛

I just wanted to see if people would do it. The thing about counting on them though is you usually end up disappointed. But Michelle Jones-Watson said if you expect disappointment, you’ll never be disappointed.

Who the fuck is Peter Parker?

One day, the Noche Buena party will be hosted at my house, and everyone will be invited and there will be a box full of random presents for all the guests and everyone will be a winner. That’s how I want it to be. And we’ll stay up all night and sleep in and order brunch because I ain’t cooking after a night like that.

I’ve spent Christmas and New Year’s in 4 different places with different people over the last 4 years (including this year). And even though I’m going to be somewhere I’ve never been before, I know I’ll be home for Christmas 🎄