'Cuz This is the Holidays

By: Shizheng Tie (JJ)

'Cuz this is the holidays. You don't know exactly when it began. It may be the fall of the first maple leaf; it may be the abrupt, surreptitious transition from lively green to mature, hearty yellow;it may be the subtle chilly breezes sweeping through the porch. But no matter how stealthily, the season of fiery, sultry summer had gone. Now it's the time for foggy breaths and steamy hot cider/tea/cocoa/pumpkin spice latte and evanescent snowflakes and ugly Christmas sweaters and homey fireplace.

‘Cuz this is the holidays. As soon as the zealous kids with their extraordinary costumes disturb stupefaction of jejune days in October, a sweet season begins. Disguised as wicked witches, fervent Frankenstein’s, torpid turtles, and sonorous sea gods, kids in myriad, bizarre shapes wandered door to door for candies. Soon after were aromas of pumpkin pies pervading the family room, chunks of turkey dipped in cranberry sauce. And even sooner, next thing you know, there were ginger bread cookies lying on the kitchen counter, kids running around, smearing red and green frosting on each other's faces. It's the season of pure indulgence, and retrieving long-lost happiness as a child, and incessant sugar highs. A fabricated sweet dream.'Cuz this is the holidays. After a laborious summer's hard working, this is the season of harvest. Corn fields on sides of the road glisten like gold under autumn warm sun. For farmers as well as organic food eaters, it's the paradise of surfeit apples and pears and squashes and tomatoes. Not just in the agricultural world is the season an ardent celebration. When Black Friday came, people in all walks of life--they eked through fugacious seasons of saving the earnings; they decided to put down the favorite but luxurious thing more times than they can remember-- now deserve a little shopping spree. Enough for running around in the sun, now it's  the time to sit around the fire and brag about the strive and.'Cuz this is the holidays. Cold winter makes us snuggle;  the holiday season is reserved for reconnecting of family members. Sisters, instead of making each other's boyfriend, were holding each other's hands in their matching Frozen costumes for trick-or-treating. Family sat around the Thanksgiving table, passing around food and love, in a great appreciation of simply being together. When gifts piled up at Christmas tree, gregarious chorals permeated the atmosphere, nothing could emulate the ebullient, festive joy shared by a family--not rival annoyances, nor work, nor due dates, nor business, dared to disturb the reunion. There is no place like home; and certainly there is no time like the holidays.'Cuz this is the holidays. A common theme of celebration brought people closer than ever. It first stated when nobody complained about feeding candy to their neighbors' kids in pompous costume; houses decorated for holidays, as if there was an implicit competition of festiveness. On the other side, students were facing their final exams; a sense of comradeship stronger than ever pervaded--in a sense, we all strive for a better grade, a better semester, a better self. As praised in Christmas chorus in community churches, we are all in this together--to celebrate this valuable unity and love.'Cuz this is the holidays--for those who left their hometown and immersed in a discreet culture, it's finally time to go back to the homeland. No matter it were a better-paid job, a more sophisticated education, or a more convenient community to settle, people decided nothing could match the importance of where they were from--their origin. You have waited the whole year for the transient reunion with family and friends, and old neighbors, and grandma's secret recipe,and the old dog that grew old when you grew up, and the dialect fading in your deepest memory, and your puerile self. 'Cuz this is the holidays. Happy holidays.