I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday! As I write this blog, I am preparing to head home with my sister on a train to Western Massachusetts. While there, we will celebrate Christmas with our parents, two dogs (Emma and Humphrey), our grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins. Now that Nicole and I are older, I’ve noticed how our Christmas celebrations have become more intimate and less extravagant over the years. When we were a lot smaller, our grandfather used to carry out a Christmas tree tradition. Each year we would venture out onto his property and cut down a 20-foot tall Christmas tree. With my uncle’s help, he would carry it into the large room of his house and decorate it top to bottom. I remember watching him add each ornament while he stood on his ladder, still wearing his work gloves. My uncle would place the star on top, a dangerous feat that required standing on a ladder while on the stairs! My sister and I would watch in awe as we made sure the lower quarter of the tree was evenly decorated. Having a giant tree at my grandparents’ house was absolutely magical to me. As we grew up, the tree got smaller and smaller until it finally dwindled down to a small porcelain Christmas tree. My grandmother would neatly set it on a table where the giant tree used to stand and tower over our heads. Regardless of the tree’s size and aesthetic, however, the warmth and magic never disappeared. To this day, we still share the same laughter and joy that I know would still exist with or without a tree to gather around. -Courtney Centeno, account executive