New Year’s Eve Family Ritual

• Kiah Chittick, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2019

New Year’s Eve Family Ritual
As an old year morphs into a new, it is as though time resets. Anticipation arises from inside as I think to myself, “what will await this year?”
“ What problems will I face?” or “ What puzzles are awaiting to be solved?”
As the year passes, memories are made with cherished ones. Tears are shed, and faces are sore from smiles. This pattern continues every single holiday until it reaches December, when Christmas arrives. Although it’s full of jolly faces, decorative lights and carols, it’s not what I look forward to the most. For what I wish for and what I anticipate is the 365th day of the year. New Year’s Eve.
Every year since I can remember, we have had a celebration at our welcoming home. All the special people in our lives- our cousins, Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents, close friends and neighbours are all invited.
We spend the early hours of the afternoon catching up on our latest adventures, telling our favourite stories, laughing and nibbling on the traditional snacks that are only allowed to be eaten on such an occasion. We take turns to wack a colourfully adorned piñata until it lay lifeless on its cardboard back. The lollies inside are swiped and gobbled up within seconds of its defeat.
My Mother, Aunty and Grandmother prepare an exquisite seafood dinner, fit for royalty. A ribbon of delicate flavours dancing upon our tastebuds. Followed by an aromatic array of intricate desserts.
We illuminate the night with radiant colourful glow sticks attached to every limb on our body.
The smell of freshly mowed grass tickles my nose as we sprint through the backyard, dodging the hose and sprinkler and launching buckets of luke warm water on one another in the heat of the night. Decorative lights are woven through our “Hills Hoist” clothes line as it spins in the breeze. The refraction of the lights dance in circles around us as though enchanted miniscule fairies.
Our eyes heavy, our feet blistering from dancing, our voices transformed into a blood curdling screech. We grip onto burning sparklers like an invisible pen as we write our names in the air.
We now lay upon the grass. A unique bond is formed as we huddle together, our eardrums fighting for mercy as the exploding flames from the fireworks dance, tinting a colourful hue across the charcoal sky.
We begin to wind down as we reminisce about every cherished memory from this year. It is now time to move on, and take a leap into the future.
It’s almost midnight. We gather around, lock our arms around each other to form a circle, as we collectively share the last moment of the year. In unison, with the last strand of vocals possessed, we begin to count down.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, ………..1 and the new year begins.