[BCOLOR=transparent]The street lights glistened in the thin layer of new snow outside. Well, it would have, wasn't the snow covered in cheering crowds, waving around firecrackers and paintings of various people, the most common being a woman with a child. In between the houses of a peculiarly narrow street hung light chains, colored alternatingly green and red, and all around the city were evergreen trees decorated with similar lights. The crowds outside were shouting cheers of descension, blended in various songs with similar topics.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]All this was viewed by a single child, through the living room window of his grandparents. His far older, adoptive sister ought to be there too, but following tradition, she was preparing for the journey to her biological parents the next day. A call from the other end of the room, and the child turned away from the charming sights outside and started running towards the dinner table. Entering the room was his grandmother, a plate of reheated slices of turkey, commanding her husband to make room on the table. As if caught daydreaming, the elderly man hurried to put away whatever he was occupied with, and shoved some of the numerous plates on the table away.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Indeed, the dinner table was one great display. A steaming hot bowl of soup in the approximate middle, accompanied by a dozen plates of already prepared ingredients, ready to be added to the soup at the request. Now on the table as well, were slices of turkey, circled in potatoes and topped with a few herbs. By its side stood a few different sauces, each one better on the meat than the next. Stopping the child's hand as he with a hasty fork attempted grabbing food, his mother announced the beginning of their prayer. It was important before a meal like this, on a day like this. Of course, more were to follow; the holiday lasted a week.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The child gave a lustful glance at the various cakes on the counter in the next room, all prepared the day before of course, before joining his family in bowing his head and folding his hands. His mother did, as any year, lead the prayer. She gave the usual speech of welcome to the god of Heaven, thanking him for his journey to Earth, and praying for good luck for the coming time. Once finished, they all finished with the same word in unison, and started eating. And oh, how good it was. Even if in the middle of the night, the amounts of lights outside made to scare demons, made it seem like any early afternoon.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Stuffed in cakes of diverse kinds, the child lazily slunk down in his ornate wooden chair, and his eyelids slowly crept across his eyes. At the mention of gifts, however, he bounced up as if not having eaten a thing all day, and dashed towards the other end of the room, flinging himself on a couch. In front of it were countless boxes, each wrapped neatly in a gorgeous, red and gold paper. Giving his mother an expectant look, the child merely watched in awe and surprise at her approaching him with her hand on her back. Telling him she wanted to give him something before they started with the other gifts, she pulled out an envelope. A rather plain, red envelope. Sounds of singing from outside rung into the room as the child with nervous hands accepted his mother's assumed letter. What else could it be? It was an envelope, after all. Although, as he opened it, a couple bills lying neatly in a stack met his now surprised face.[/BCOLOR]
