When the holiday season arrives, many memories arise. One that I remember the most is the tradition of putting up our Christmas tree and decorating it with ornaments. My siblings and I would gather around the tree, deciding where each ornament should go. The living room would be filled with music and the scent of hot cocoa and cookies from the kitchen, a welcome treat after playing in the snow. Each year, putting up the Christmas tree became a reflection of our family’s shared love, with memories and moments hanging on the branches of the tree.

However, as time passed and my siblings grew older, the tradition began to change. One by one, they moved away to college, started careers, or began families of their own. The lively energy that once filled the room—the Christmas spirit—was replaced with a lonesome silence. This year, for the first time I found myself sitting alone in the living room in front of my tree. The energy and cheerful joy of decorating it was replaced by a dull ache of nostalgia. The tree, that once hung up ornaments of memories, now only hangs ornaments that hold no significance.

Without my siblings, the day of decoration feels hollow. I start to not care as I pull out the tree from storage, trying to hold onto a tradition that no longer holds the same magic. Each bauble I hang and tinsel I place, it’s just a bittersweet reminder of the hands that used to hang them with me. As I try to enjoy the Christmas spirit; this tree just serves as a reminder of how my siblings are no longer here enjoying this holiday with me.

Although this tradition has lost its magic, it also carries a lesson: to cherish and appreciate the moments we have with our loved ones, especially our siblings. Perhaps one day, we can reunite, maybe with families of our own, and recreate the joy of decorating the Christmas tree, reigniting the spark that once made this tradition so special to me.