December 24, 2004

****While having our weekly family powwow in the kitchen of my dad’s house, he brought out this priceless piece of writing. I didn’t even know it existed. It was his recount of that enchanted Christmas eve back in 2004. While I read it aloud for my brothers, their girlfriends, the close family friend, and my dad to hear you could feel the intense feeling of longing and sadness that this story conjured up. My parents are now divorced, my brother is currently living in another state, and life is not as kind as it was before; but in our melancholy state we found what has kept us strong through our trials and tribulations: the fact that family is our priority. As long as we have that, the obstacles life has in store for us cannot and will not do much damage.

P.S. I love it how my dad referred to my brothers and me as ‘kids’. In 2004 I was already 22, my oldest brother was 20, my other brother was 18, and the baby of the family was 14. No longer were we kids but since we were never really a rebellious bunch, I guess he still felt comfortable with seeing us as ‘kids’…he’s a special man, my father, he really is. Enjoy.****

     It was a Friday morning. I woke up with the thought of having to go to HEB to buy the things we were going to need for our annual Christmas Eve gathering at my mother’s house that night. We also planned on going to the acres to bring pieces of wood to burn while we made the carne asada and the kids lit their fireworks.

     Every year since our kids were born, we have gathered, along with my sister and brothers’ families, at my mother’s house for Christmas and New Year Eve. On Thursday afternoon we had gone to the fireworks stand on highway 59 to buy the fireworks that the kids were to light up on these nights. This is a family tradition that we have done every year. The fireworks purchased usually consisted of ground bloomers, satellites, morning glories, jumping jacks, roman candles, smoke balls, sparklers, and bottle rockets. This year, however, my sons had purchased some powerful fireworks. The kind that go up and explode with a loud boom and light up the sky with beautiful patterns of color such as the ones seen at a Fourth of July fireworks display.

     Around 11:00am, my wife and I went to the HEB Mercado to buy all the stuff needed for the gathering. We arrived home around noon and told the kids that all of us were going to the acres to bring wood. The acres are located outside the city limits on Highway 59. The kids, my daughter and two sons, were not too enthused on going to the acres, but we told them that everyone had to go. Our other son and his girlfriend were working at the time at Lin’s.

     As we headed off to the acres, we were listening to the radio. It was around 35 degrees and the weather forecast had indicated a slight chance of precipitation in the form of sleet or flurries. We were excited with the mere fact that it was in the forecast but our hope of seeing any of it was not very high. It was at the intersection of Highway 59 and Loop 20 (Bob Bullock Blvd), where we caught our first glimpse of snow flurries. We were waiting for the traffic light to change, when a dark colored car turned in front of us. You could see the small pellets of snow falling against the car’s rear window.

     When the light changed, we drove on and started noticing the snow pellets more and more. We were so excited at seeing this that we pulled over at the Life Downs entrance and got out of the van to feel the snow on our faces. My daughter immediately called my son at work to let him know what was occurring so that he could also experience it. After a few jubilant minutes, we got back in the van and headed out to the acres. As we drove down Highway 59, there were sections on the road where the flurries were coming down harder. I wanted to stop the van and get out again but it was dangerous to do so and I also wanted to get to the acres as soon as possible so that we could get down and take it all in. We sped down the road hoping that the snow would not stop when we got to there.

     We turned off of Highways 59 and as we turned up the road leading to the ranch, we saw the dirt all covered with snow. The road, as far as you could see, was covered in white. We pulled into the acres' entrance and walked the rest of the way. As we were cutting the wood, the snow seemed to die down a little bit and then started again. We took a stroll to the back end of the 20 acres, enjoying every minute of it. We didn’t want it to end, but eventually the snow fall died down and we decided it was time to head back to town and tell everyone of what we had experienced.

     Later that afternoon, I was watching a football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers when someone yelled that the snow was falling again. This was around 2:30 in the afternoon. We went out and threw some football passes on the street in front of our house and then went back inside after the snow died down. The flurries started again around 5:30 pm and we went to my mom’s house. One of my brothers was passing by with his wife and they stopped by to greet my mother and me.

     At around 7 in the evening, I went to my mom’s house to start the fire for the carne asada and also the fire we always make to keep warm. The snow was falling heavier now. I remember that the table we used to prepare the carne asada was covered with a thick layer of newly fallen snow. We had to scrape off the snow so that we could set the food trays on it. The snow was falling so hard that we had to put a piece of plywood over the barbecue pit and fire to keep the snow from putting it out.

     After a while, the family members arrived. My brothers and sister came along with their spouses and kids. One of my older brothers was the only one not present. He was getting together at his house with his sons, their wives, and grandchildren. Our wives were inside the house with our mom talking, while the kids played outside throwing snowballs at each other. My brothers and I were cooking the fajitas, chicken and sausage listening to the radio and keeping warm by standing as close to the fire without getting burned.

     The snow kept falling steadily and heavily by Laredo standards. You could see the snow falling against the street corner lights. The kids started to build a mini snowman on the trunk of my mom’s car. Those present were my sons, my daughter, my son’s girlfriend and a close family friend.  Also present were my nephews and nieces with their spouses. They also started making snowball and soon a snowball fight ensued.  

     After the snowball fight, the kids started to light up the high powered fireworks that they had purchased the night before. The fireworks were breath-taking. The whole family was outside watching the fireworks explode in the air displaying an array of multi-colors accompanied by a thunderous boom. The kids were careful to keep an eye out for the police since it is against the law to light fireworks within the city limits, but this is part of our family’s Christmas and New Year’s tradition.

     After lighting the fireworks, some of the family members went inside to get out of the cold. Some sat on the various couches and sofas in my mom’s house while others stood around the kitchen talking and helping themselves to fajitas, chicken, sausage, beans, rice, tortillas, tamales, coffee, sodas, and numerous pastries and Christmas cake. The Christmas cake, which was made of peppermint sticks, was baked by my daughter. It was very good and enjoyed by everyone. My brothers and I, in the meantime, stayed outside enjoying the cold air and watching the snow come down all the while talking, eating, and drinking next to the fire.

     I don’t recall whose idea it was but the kids had gone to watch the fallen snow at the practice field next to Veteran’s field. When I found out that they had gone there, I decided to go and check on them. The snow was falling pretty hard and it was more noticeable while walking through the Civic Center parking lot. There were some aluminum bleachers that are used for the Washington Birthday celebration and other festivities on the southwest corner of the parking lot. The bleachers were covered with inches of snow that made an unforgettable sound when you stepped on it. The practice field and the baseball field next to it (Leyendecker School) were completely covered with snow. All you could see was a vast, undisturbed field of white snow.

     I was so excited and wanted everyone to see what we had seen that I ran back home to tell everyone. The snow was still falling pretty hard and I remember having trouble seeing due to the snow hitting my face as I ran home. When I got home I was noticeably excited and told everyone that they should go and see for themselves. I guess I pretty much convinced them since most of them did walk to the practice field to take pictures, make and throw snowballs at each other, and even make snow angels. My wife made a snow angel, some thing she had not done since she was a youngster living in Illinois. I remember Red (our dog) running around in the snow just as excited as the rest of us. We took several pictures. Unfortunately, we later found that the film in the camera was not good. We did, however, manage to take footage with my son’s camcorder, so at least those memories were caught on tape to enjoy and remember forever.

     Around midnight, the snow had stopped falling and most of the family members had already left and so we said goodnight to everyone and went home. I remember plugging in the inflatable Grinch we had on our front lawn and seeing that it had trouble inflating due to the accumulation of fallen snow on top of it. “Heee, heeeee, heeeee, Mmmmaaaaxxxx!!!!!!”

     We went inside to watch the A Christmas Story marathon, which also is a Christmas tradition itself, and went to sleep wishing that the snow would still be there the following morning. It was there the following morning and we managed to take some more footage before it melted but it had been there so it didn’t matter if it was gone. As my son said this was and will always be the best Christmas ever.