Ivy Pomeroy, 12

After being on lockdown for so long, I’m sure everyone is super excited to get back into the swing of holiday cheer! My family has been super safe and is finally planning big things. Thanksgiving has never been a huge event within my family but even so, we usually get together and have a very filling supper. I know Thanksgiving is important to a lot of families so it’s amazing that we can get together without being afraid to breathe.

Now, onto the good stuff. Christmas. My grandparents always go all out on presents. Anything you ask for, you’re getting. Sometimes I even have two Christmases! My family on my mom’s side likes to get together because we always have a good time. My family on my dad’s side, all live in Gwinn or close by so they have no problem with the distance part. Unfortunately, my aunt on my mom’s side now lives in Boston so she has a hard time finding the time to come visit us. She is the life of the party so we always have a blast when she’s around. This year we plan on doing a “Not-So-Secret-Santa” within the whole crew. My aunt is traveling down here for Christmas so if I get her for “Not-So-Secret-Santa,” I’ll be sure to make it count.

Now I know Christmas isn’t all about the presents. There’s also the food! I’m the kind of person who will eat every single sweet in the house if I had the chance. On Christmas Eve we usually have a decent meal but Christmas day is when the delicious, heaven-in-your-mouth, so-good-you-can-taste-the-love kind of food comes. Do you have turkey or ham on Christmas Day? For us, it depends on the mood (and whatever looks good at Econo). Christmas might be my favorite holiday because you get to have a great time with the ones you love. I know it can be hard to find time for those special people in your lives, especially during a global pandemic.

My school is planning a New Year’s Dance this year, and I just happen to be on student council so that has helped me get all the inside information for my classmates and friends. I’m extremely excited for this dance because it will be my first! My friends are all planning to go dress shopping together already even though the dance is still two months away!

My mom gets a little emotional from time to time because she is conflicted about being proud of my growth, and a little sad because of how mature I’m getting. I think she also doesn’t like the fact that I’m almost as tall as her and I can look at her eye-to-eye. She misses the days when I was a little girl. I believe that I will always be her little girl, even though I will be taller and may not always sleep in the room right next to hers. I’m telling you about this because these are the times when we should cherish our time with the ones we love the most. We won’t always be able to see them every day, give them a hug goodbye on the way to school, or give them a kiss goodnight before they meet you in your dreams. The holidays are a special time for almost everyone, so we should experience them with the people we will always want to experience them with.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ivy Pomeroy is 12 years old and writes for 8-18 Media.