All Together Now

Christmas morning 2021 and everyone is HERE. Like, actually here. In the same house. Breathing the same air. Mom cried when Carmen pulled into the driveway, cried again when Diego walked in, and completely lost it when Abuela Rosa said grace over our chaotic, beautiful, loud family.

All Together Now

We’ve been doing virtual Christmas for two years and I forgot how much space we all take up. The kitchen is wall-to-wall Vasquez and Hartwell energy, Roberto telling the same stories from 1987 while Maria tries to coordinate six different side dishes and keep Theo from eating all the dinner rolls. Sophie’s helping like the almost-teenager she’s becoming, and Marcus is doing his best to stay useful without getting in anyone’s way.

The moment Biscuit decided Christmas ham was his present

Of course Biscuit decided Christmas ham was his personal gift and staged the heist of the century while we were all distracted by Abuela Rosa’s blessing. Roberto got the whole thing on camera and now it’s going in the family archive forever.

Abuela Rosa’s blessing made everyone cry (the good tears)

We’re loud and we’re messy and we take up too much space and I wouldn’t change a single thing. This is what I missed. This is what matters. We’re all together. That’s the only present any of us needed.