Page 167 - Unforgettable Memories in Life_Neat

Lakeside Junior High School 165

A Salvadorian Christmas

By Sol Aguilar

I woke up on a sunny, clear El Salvidorian day and quickly realized that today wasn't just

any day, it was Christmas Eve! I rushed out of bed to get ready by putting on a floral work dress

and getting all the knots out of my hair. Just as I finished removing the last knot, my mom came

into my room, “Go wake up your sisters, Ana, we need to start preparing for Christmas.” I

quickly nodded and rushed to wake my sisters “ Rosa!, Elena!, Emilia!” I eagerly Shook them

out of bed and helped them get ready.

Once they were ready, we went to the kitchen and saw that our mom was cleaning the

pots and pans to be used to make our feast. She told my sisters that they'd be in charge of

cleaning the house and preparing the Christmas tree and nativity scene in the living room, whilst

she and I got ingredients and a new hand mill at the store due to me breaking our last one. We

sought out the rocky, dirt paths of our town. My mom was wearing a pretty sun hat and a dress

that resembled mine. While we walked, I asked her where dad and my brothers were, and she

told me that they were getting the crops and meat ready to cook. As we finished up at the store,

we were elated to find a high-quality blue hand mill for sale for only 36 dollars.

After our visit to the store, my mom told me something that made me jump

uncontrollably: I was going to help her pick olive leaves from the olive trees on our farm. Every

Christmas my mom would pick olive leaves to lay on the ground in the living room and she

would always do it on her own so you could imagine how excited I was to be the first one to get

to help her. We got to the farm and I fetched the ladder and basket so we could collect as many

leaves as possible. In only 5 minutes, I was able to help my mom collect a huge pile of olive

leaves that towered over the basket. My mom told me to take the basket to my sisters and help

them finish decorating while she went to help my brothers and dad get the pork, tamales,

chicken, and corn ready for our feast.