Mariah Carey, All I Want For Christmas Is You

Funny how, events are sometimes thrown at you unexpectedly. Food looked delicious, we were opening presents, and in the most german tradition, the tannenbaum was lit. I was thinking about happiness, really, on golden moments like these, where pictures were taken, where things after yet another difficult year for Mexico, we had much to celebrate for. Basically life itself, months away from an earthquake that shook us so harshly.

We were about to eat dinner when I heard my brother shout. As soon as my nieces turned around, I could see what was happening. The tree was on fire. My first instinct was to grab the chair where my grandmother, who is 96, was sitting by the tree. I carried her back as far from the fire as I could, as my nieces and everyone else got to the back of the room.

My brother and my sister-in-law, tried with all their might to keep things in control. All I remember is setting myself in motion to try to help them both. I took off my jacket and remember vaguely opening the doors, carrying water towards the tree, wetting towels, looking for pots, the fire getting bigger against the ceiling, my brother bringing a fire extinguisher but it didn't work, someone pushing the tree unto the floor, then there was more water and some towels, until it finally died down.

My brother, my aunt and my sister-in-law went to the hospital to get their lungs, arms and face checked, while some of us stayed to clean everything up. Consoling the little ones that were really scared. Burnt books, stuffed Santas and elves, blackened gift wrapping, some plastic cars from my nephew. Ashes everywhere, they covered every possible surface, even food.

I get it. That's life's reminder that one second can change everything. But life is always also teaching us, things could be worse. That what matters is OK, that we are all alive, and that we have each other to tell the story and laugh about it. Remember that Christmas when the tree was lit on fire?

I'm still too jumpy to catch some kind of sleep but also, another memory came by. As I was mopping the ash from the floor with my cousin, the jolly Christmas music was still on, making the ambience sort of eerie. We both were trying to get past the facts and started giggling nervously. Mariah Carey was singing with all her might, and my cousin grabbed the mop as a microphone, I laughed, marveled at human nature, and started singing along too.