Who does not love the holidays? Imagine yourself sitting in your living room with a warm hot chocolate and watching “Home Alone.” You are all relaxed because classes are over and the holidays are approaching. You look outside and see shiny, bright, colorful light, a reindeer on the roof of a house and Santa Claus beside him. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?

I enjoy the holidays, especially Christmas, which stands out among the rest. The multicolor lights and the inflatable decorations bring happiness to my neighborhood. The week of Christmas, my family and I make a trip to Manhattan to look at the giant Rockefeller Center tree. We observe people skating in the ice rink, including people slipping on the ice. Numerous people are walking around and taking pictures of themselves with the Christmas tree. Some children are crying and others are amazed at the view. Our day is very hectic, but we enjoy it because we are spending time together.

A month before Christmas, my entire family has a small family gathering to do “el Angelito Secreto (Secret Santa).” My dad writes down all of our names in a paper and throws them in a hat. All of the participating members have to pick a name and after, we set a budget for the gifts and we are required to purchase a gift for whoever we drew from the hat.

On Christmas Eve, my Hispanic family celebrates Christmas. Every year, the smell of Ecuadorian llapingachos (Fried potato pancakes), ceviche (raw seafood “cooked” in lime and chili) and rice and beans make my stomach growl. The children run around my house and my dog barks loudly every time the doorbell rings. The adults drink margarita and beer and we all dance. My 7-foot Christmas tree lights up with a bright star on the top and our nativity play is under the tree. Before opening the present, we ask a person to carry baby Jesus to his bed in the nativity. Afterward, the children open the gifts and we do the Secret Santa distribution. My family ends the night with bachata, cumbia, merengue or salsa and we dance until our feet drop.

Christmas is my favorite holiday because I spend a lot of time with my loved ones. We laugh and we smile, but most of all, we have fun because Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.