The holidays are coming up and the one thing that I will miss most of all is getting together with the family.  When we were kids, I remember mom would take us to the Macy's parade, and we would watch the floats and marching bands in awe, the bright colors and the music all around us, people everywhere taking pictures and trying to get a good view.  It was so exciting.  After the parade ended, we would get back on the subway for the ride home where grandma had a huge turkey in the oven, and the house would be filled with the delectable scents of our delicious Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings...black beans and rice, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, green beans, it was so much it hardly fit on the dining room table.  We always had enough food to feed all of us and anyone who would drop by to say hello.  I remember dad coming home from work in his uniform, a bag filled with candy and coconut bon bons for us . He worked as a policeman and every year he had to work crowd control for the Macy's parade.  But when he got home and changed into his street clothes, he was more than ready to carve the turkey and sit down to the feast.  There was Uncle Walter and Aunt Mellita, who were both very young, and after my cousins Roy and Diana were born, we would have an even bigger spread of delicious treats.  We were a pretty close knit family, and did many things together, even vacation together.  It seems strange now that people usually vacation to get away from their relatives.  We vacationed to stay close to them.

Christmas holidays were very similar.  We usually got together with our cousins on Christmas Eve, to watch for Santa Claus ride he sleigh above the houses.  I remember one year we were all watching out the window and mom was saying "Look, there he is...he's over there..."  
"Where?  I can't see him.."
"Keep watching, you will" she would say, trying to keep us out of the living room while my dad and uncles brought down the gifts from the attic.   I happened to leave the room and walked to the bedroom at the other end of the hall.  It was dark, as I slowly peeked inside, I saw the back of a big wing chair, and lots of gifts all over the floor.  I thought Oh no!  Santa's sleeping!  I ran out of the room and was afraid to tell anyone thinking I wouldn't get any gifts.  So while mom was trying to convince my sister Yolanda and my cousins that Santa was still riding around the rooftops on the sleigh, I knew better.  He was asleep in the back bedroom.

Every year we would have the same traditions.  And as we got older and family members moved away, the traditions changed;  we didn't live in New York any more,  we were no longer little children, and mom and dad were getting older. Grandma passed away in 1969 and the holidays were now celebrated with less excitement.  We still had memorable get togethers for the holidays, it just seemed that the years passed much too quickly.  As we got older and moved further away from each other,  it seemed we were all too busy to make those trips every holiday. But how I miss those days!  I wish I could be with my family again, re-living the fun and the laughter, watching each other pass out on the couch from all those wonderful turkey dinners grandma had prepared with love.  It was a feeling I will never forget and will always remember with love.  Mom and Dad, Grandma, Dennis, Grandpa, Aunt Jean, Uncle Florencio, Aunt Felisa, I miss you all.

Now I have grandchildren and great grandchildren, and I wish that I could provide them with the wonderful memories I experienced when I was growing up.  This is a different age.  Technology has changed the way we live.  Children don't play outside any more.  They're into video games now, and often spend more time alone than with their families.  Couples spend their time involved in work, and more often than not, less time with each other.  It's sad in a way, but I guess, that's the price we pay for progress. What we really need is to get back to being a family and doing things together.  That's what our goals should be.  The only good thing about modern technology is that although I live far from my family members now, we can still communicate by email and phone, but nothing will ever take the place of a hug, of feeling the warmth and love of human contact.