Looking back to the past filled with events and memories, I found it rather difficult to choose only one meal that is the most special and most unforgettable to me. There are a lot of good meals that came to my mind. But if I can only choose one of them, I would say it has to be my last Christmas meal that I had with my family. Good company, delicious food, funny moments and beautiful decorations all make it an amazing and unforgettable experience. When it comes to Christmas, what more can we say?
It is the most wonderful holiday of the year, and a time of happiness toward everyone. In my family, the Christmas fever starts a week before. The first days are reserved for buying gifts and gift cards for friends and family. Also, we decorate our pine tree with tinsels, colorful light bulbs, ornaments, and an angel perched on the very top. Then about three days before Christmas, my father put up the lights on the roof, the windows, and the trees in our front yard to give passerby an eyeful of Christmas spirit. The house is always beautiful when holiday approaches!
Bright ray of sunlight through the blind, it is finally Christmas day. I wake up in the morning with excitement from the aroma of my moms cooking in the kitchen. Preparing a big meal for the whole family is a time consuming job; therefore, my mother and my aunts wake up extra early that day to prepare for all the ingredients. Some of my family are already there to help out, even though the party wont be until the afternoon. I decide to go greet them and help my mom a little in the kitchen; while my sister starts to wipe the floor and clean up the table.
Around afternoon, all the guests start arriving. I cannot be more excited, because I have not seen some of them in years. We all greet them in the front door with big warm hugs. Then we all gather in the living room, talking and having a great time. The atmosphere simply makes you feel happy: people you love gathered around; Christmas songs are played in the background; the house is as bright as stars because of the light reflection; and the Christmas tree is beautiful with presents filled up underneath. The table of my place is set up beautifully.
Red and green are the main colors. The tablecloth is a deep red color with gorgeous swirly gold designs. On top of that are a little Christmas tree and a sparkly candle in the middle. Shiny silverwares are wrapped in green cloth napkins, sitting next to the plates. Now the best part of the meal comes: the food! All my cousins started to help carry out all the food to the table. Once again, the breathtaking aroma of food begins. It was traditional to have a big feast for Christmas dinner, and it sure does smell like it.
The smell of various kinds of meats and vegetables dishes all together is making my stomach growl, since I have not eaten anything the whole day, except for a small piece of bread. Since we are an Asian family, the food served is slightly different from what I usually saw in other families. The meal consisted of various kinds of meat and vegetable dishes, including: barbeque pork ribs, beef stew, marinated chicken, baked salmon, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, fruit salad, steamed green beans and carrots, homemade egg rolls, sweet rice, and my aunts special hot and sour soup.
The dinner table was like a buffet, dishes covered with food right after another. I can tell the dinner is ready, since people are scattering to the dining room, and the sound of glasses filled with red wines and apple ciders being handed out. After everyone has his or her own seat, my father prays to bless our family, and then people start to talk and enjoy the food. Not only does it smell great, it also tastes delicious! My most favorite ones have to be the barbeque pork ribs and the fried egg rolls.
The barbeque ribs is one of the best one I have had in years. The meat is cooked just right; it is tender and tastes fresh and flavorful with a genuine barbeque flavor. The fried egg rolls are just the right amount of crispiness. And its dipping sauce is sweet and sour, that goes extremely tasty with the flavorful combination of different veggies and pork and shrimps inside the wraps. While the adults are eating and enjoying each others company, children start to leave the dining table, pick up their presents and run around the rooms.
The house is filled with noises and laughter: uncles and aunts asking how each other and the kids are doing, people laughing at my grandfathers funny stories, the kids running around and chasing each other, etc. After people are done with their food, my favorite part comes: the dessert! For this year, my mother makes pumpkin pies and chocolate pudding cakes with vanilla ice cream on the side. I always love pumpkin pies and chocolate puddings; the texture is so smooth and delightful. The sweetness of chocolate and pumpkin really cheers me up! By the time the dessert was finished, everyone is very full.
Surprisingly, there is not much food left, since we have such a huge family, and also because everyone says the food was delicious and irresistible. After the dinner is over, I help my mother to clear the table and wash all the dishes. Sitting in the family room, everyone has their own little side conversations that sound like a bunch of whispers if you aren’t involved in any conversation yourself. The day finally comes to an end. Everyone begins to get tired; some of them start leaving; and some sleep over at my house, ready for their flights to come back home tomorrow morning.
The room is now empty again. It is now time to go to bed, so I heads up my never-ending stairs, and go to bed with a sad feeling of the day over too fast. Even though it is almost a year since our last Christmas meal, I can still remember every detail of it. Not only does the beautiful decoration and delicious food stand out, but also most importantly the joyful atmosphere of family reunification makes it memorable. It is a genuinely unforgettable and unique impression that I had at the depth of my heart.
