Christmas Tree

Santa Claus brings our tree, fully decorated, sometime during the night on Christmas Eve. The next morning, the five of us descend the stairs together, making sure we all witness the tree’s glory at the same moment. But at four years old, I didn’t feel like respecting this tradition. I burst from Daddy’s arms, raced down the stairs, through the dining room and the kitchen until I hit the back glass door. The excitement had distracted me from turning into the living room where the tree shined bright. Instead of rerouting to the living room, I slinked back upstairs, guilty.