merry maple.
it was dark by the time the band began to move, they with their brightly lit instruments, tinsel and santa hats and us with our candles and candy canes. the excitement was there, tangible and practically visible in our breaths as the air turned us cold. the band marched swiftly with the drum cadence, but we no longer held rank.
i struggled to keep my candle from going out as we walked. as we passed greek houses, people opened their windows and pointed, waving and shouting. the farther we walked the more i felt as though i was finally slipping into the holiday season, embracing the winter evenings, the anticipation of the coming snow, the taste of peppermint and the scent of fire and the chatter of people who loved me. it was all coming together.
i hadn’t expected this year to be different, but it had become different. winter came slowly, thanksgiving snuck up, my family looked for a christmas tree without me. but that night, as the band played christmas music and candle wax burnt my fingers, the holidays became real again. real, and i was ready for it.
