Celebrating December

As my brother opens the gates, Mocoñoño walks up and greets my brother while panting happily. My brother tauntingly shakes the black plastic bag filled with secrets only the children,including myself, could identify: fireworks. These are not the fireworks one who lives in the United States sees, they are not super flashy and don't fly so high up  they can be seen across your city, they are small and feisty. I even remember one time my cousin, at the time my best friend, burned her finger as one, we call "cebollitas"  exploded on her as she stubbornly held it to see the sparks fly in front of her. Since then , I've been scared of those little bombs.

Typically, every year, the Sotos convince whoever they can to go back to their homeland down to a small town called Zinapecuaro. For the Soto family, an activity  and is infamous for its fire, sparks, burns, smiles and laughter is when the older, but adventure-filled relatives, such as my brother, go down to "el mercado" to buy a bagful or two of fireworks and the magic that results of that purchase happen in the night. The smaller of the children carelessly handle the cebollitas while the big kids ruthlessly scare the smaller children, and sometimes the adults, with the louder, smokier, and more colorful of the fireworks. I have often been scared for one time the abejita flew right in between my clumsy feet and seemed like it would cause a fire, on my shoelace. Then again, I was always the scaredy-cat of the group the one who let her imagination run wild on ideas of getting hurt, considering every single possibility. Yet, I always was deeply entertained while watching others, eventually joining in myself. I remember thinking, as we would drive into the gate of my grandmother's home how excited I was for Christmas in order to light up the fireworks. It was a time of festivity, the only time I felt I was surrounded with magic.

Even now, I love joining on the fun that I felt ten years ago. Flashing fireworks, will always flood down memories of my family coming together, without religious differences, family grudges, skin color differences tagged along with accents and cultural barriers ; the flick of the match and the roll of the lighter to set the wick on fire have always been a sign of unity.