New Year is a magical time!
I remember how I used to wait for presents from Ded Moroz, how I loved staying up late on New Year’s Eve, not falling asleep, eating Olivier salad, hoping to make it to the cake. Tangerines, salami, singers, comedians, the president’s speech, presents… and the Christmas tree was glowing. I especially loved the lantern — a beautiful holiday lantern with a ball made of thin threads sticking out of it, the tips glowing gently.
And I had a dog. One time, we had a real tree, and my dog jumped onto it and got completely covered in needles, breaking a brand-new shiny ornament. Oh, what a commotion that was! And grandma would always say it was a mistake to get a dog, because she had to walk him, wash his paws, and deal with all the fuss.
But that dog was my loyal childhood friend. I felt like he was the only one who truly understood me. How can a dog understand a person? Somehow, he just did. I could give him the soup I didn’t want to finish, and cuddle him when I felt sad. And on New Year’s night, around 2 a.m. or so, we would go for a walk together — sometimes all of us, sometimes just my parents.
Of all the New Year’s gifts, the ones I wanted the most were a game console with cartridge games (like Mario) and my first mobile phone — a Nokia 3310 with changeable cases. I loved all presents, really, but when I once got a bathrobe and slippers, I felt a bit disappointed. It seemed like I had become a grown-up — because grown-ups usually get robes and house slippers…
I really wanted to grow up quickly. Because grown-ups could stay out until one in the morning, buy whatever they wanted, and do anything without asking permission. They could watch TV all day and skip school. And they could buy anything — even a chocolate bar, a lollipop, or a dollhouse.
On New Year’s, you especially feel the difference between your childhood self and this other version of you — probably the adult one. I used to wait for the holiday, but now I have to create it myself. And in moments like these, it’s joyful to realize: now I can do everything — even become Ded Moroz myself, or, if I want to, the Snow Maiden or a forest hedgehog. It’s such a wonderful thing, being big!