I remember one Christmas, long before the fireworks

We got the night, we got the snow, we got the cold.

But we also got the joy. The hot tea, the cinnamon swirl, and the fire. Well, I got the boiler instead of the fire of my childhood, when I used to go out, and play in the snow until my hands and my face were red, despite gloves, scarf, and all the equipment that mom used to provide, just in case. Just me, my sleight, and one below-zero temperature. And I was not alone. All my friends were there, on the side of the hill, on a slippery slope, 50 meters long, with a small river at the end, so we would have to suddenly turn right, right at the end, or we would end in the frozen water. And to go back up again, well, the climb would take 10 minutes, for 20 seconds of pure adrenaline, or at least this is my 12-year-old recollection.

Living in one (let's say) normal country, my wife cannot understand some of my ramblings, as I was trying to explain to her that in my childhood, we only had oranges in the shops once per year, around Christmas, so for me, the smell of orange peels is always associated with Christmas and New Year's Eve. We didn't throw the peels in the bin, we let them dry, so the whole house will smell like oranges. This was Communist Romania, and, if my memory serves me well, at about the same time, we would find the big Hungarian hazelnut chocolate, the one with the bear on it. And people were waiting in huge queues to buy the allocated Christmas goodies (yeah, you couldn't buy as much as you want it, the shop lady usually was doing some averaging and decided that you can have 1 chocolate per child or 3 oranges per family like - the brad was rationed, so they have lists with all the families in the area and how many family members are on each, in case you wonder about how do they find about your children count).

But something was different, as we, children, were somehow shielded from the problems, and in our innocence, we were just enjoying school, and play. And unlike now, we use to be a lot of children (partially because abortion was punished by law, but this is a story for another time). As some people say now, we use to have money, but nothing to buy, while today we have everything you want to buy, one click away, but not enough money. At least this is a general perception. In hindsight, both environments, Communism, and the times we live now in Romania are some abnormal, absurd mutations, not because of the people, but mostly because of the government class (and I will not go there either, as I need to be at work in one hour).

So, I have mixed memories of the winter season, even if I will always enjoy the snow. The joy is there, even the innocence, but they are hidden somewhere deep. and it is harder and harder to reach and bring them to the surface. I am no longer a modern person, at least in December, I am just a witness of a long-forgotten era.

See you tomorrow,
George