christmas

one of the only things my mom
ever stood up to fayez on
was christmas
she fought hard for our right to party
on D day
like regular american kids
we were already different enough as it was
i think she knew that not participating
in the biggest american holiday tradition
would have only further alienated her 4 children
i remember heated arguments about it
my dad fought her all the way
at least at first
and although she always backed down on everything else
she held her ground firmly on this
and now i greatly appreciate that
i guess she picked her battles wisely
and we got christmas
it came every year in the nourallah household
even though it wasn't supposed to
and the funny thing is
many years later
christmas became dad's most precious
and sentimental day
because it's a day we've shared as a family
ever since the beginning
of our family

i think this year was my favorite christmas
of all-time
i guess the reason being
our son is at the perfect age
watching him fill up with excitement
and wonder
was the best part of it all