Iv'e always enjoyed going to visit my dad during Chirstmas, but one visit really stands out in my memory

A Christmas family get together has always been a tradition for the Lose family, but gathering around, and spending quality time with my dad’s side of the family all changed. My parents are divorced so every time I go to visit my dad, who lives in Alabama, I get to see only some of my cousins, because most of them live in places like Ohio.

“It’s time to get up Ashley”, I heard my mom’s voice say. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the time which read 6:00 am. I moaned, “It’s too early”. It was Friday morning I knew I had a long drive ahead of me considering the fact that, we're stopping by Aunt Renee’s house in Georgia on the way to my dad’s. Since my mom and I live in South Carolina, Georgia is like a halfway point for my parents to meet at.

When I arrived later that day only two of my cousins were there, Sarahbeth and Margaret Sarahbeth and Margaret are two of my cousins I see very often. Sarah and Margaret go to college, like the rest of my cousins since I'm known as the baby out of my family.
I can remember being greeted by Aunt Renee and Uncle Tony followed by Aunt Meg and her husband Uncle Tom with welcoming arms and smiles.

Friday night flew by and then came Saturday. Not only is Saturday one of my favorite days of the week, It is always the day we do the Cousin Swap which is where each cousin draws a name of another cousin and has to buy them a gift. The Grinch Swap is a swap for adults only, since the gifts are absolutely ridiculous . Last year during the Grinch Swap, one of the presents was a singing bear. Honestly, I found the Grinch Swap more interesting than the cousin swap. Don't get me wrong, watching and opening presents from my cousins who I barely ever get to see is fun and all but who doesn't enjoy watching their family members fight over gifts.

I can remember waking up and smelling a delicious smell, followed by a bunch of chatter downstairs. Immediately, I  jumped out of bed knowing Uncle Eddie was making pancakes, who I would say is the best pancake maker I've ever meet. Uncle Eddie makes pancakes into the shape of animals, sports equipment, or almost anything you can imagine and they are delicious pancakes. The morning flew by. More family members started to show up by the minute. I forgot to mention the fact that my dad is the seventh child, so you can only imagine how big his side of the family is.
As the day went on, everybody kicked back and watched football. My ears seemed like they were about to fall off since everybody roared “TOUCH DOWN!” with excitement.

Dinner finally came and we had a delicious meal cooked by both Aunt Renee and Aunt Anne. The main dish was a golden brown  turkey, monstrous and juicy laid on the shiny platter. It was so much food but of course I ate almost everything. The top button on my pants strained from the food I could not resist. After dinner it was time for the cousin swap. All of the cousins gathered around and handed out presents to each other. We tore open our presents like wild animals so fast the cousin swap probably only lasted about a minute.

After cleaning up all of the wrapping paper that was everywhere it was time for the Grinch Swap. Yes the Grinch Swap. All of the adults gathered around in a room with different presents on a stool. Now the Grinch swap is a simple game. Adults pick numbers from a bowl, and based on your number they get to pick a present first. After a gift is stolen 3 times from somebody  it can't be stolen again. After the Grinch Swap was over everybody was just quietly chatting about work, or school. Atley, my step brother, had left the room to go sit in the den and  My Uncle Johnny went to go get a drink from the kitchen.

“Help come here!” all of a sudden we could hear Atley screaming. Everybody quickly rushed to Atley and Uncle Johnny. I didn't know what was going on, confusion filled throughout me as everybody jolted passed me. In the tiny cracks of everybody I could only see Uncle Johnny lying on the floor shaking.  They quickly turned off the lights and somebody called the ambulance. Thankfully all of my aunts and uncles are involved in the medical field, and were able to take control of the situation.

  Ten minutes passed and my vision was filled with blues and reds. Loudly and quickly, I could hear the strangers talking and telling each other what to do. I could barely see what was going on, but I saw my uncle being picked up and gently set down on a bed with wheels. As they rolled him away I could hear the screeching noise of the wheels on the hardwood floor.

Later that night Uncle Johnny arrived back at Aunt Reene’s house. Everybody was asking, “Are you okay?” Yes he was okay.  I’ve been told in the past my uncle has had an experience with seizure, but i have never seen him having one. I didn't know what to think even after Johnny was rushed to the ambulance and was home safely. To this day I still do not know what to think. All I can think is that being around my uncle scares me, not because of the way he is, It’s just everytime I seem him I envision him lying on the floor shaking.

Sunday had come and it was time to pack up and leave Georgia and go back to South Carolina. I hugged everybody goodbye and made my way out the door. When I went to hug uncle Johnny I said “I'm so glad your okay I love you.”

That was a Christmas I will never forget. As I told you earlier in this memoir The Grinch Swap was my favorite but, after this Christmas it all changed. The Grinch Swap had become one of the most horrifying things ever. The reason why it is horrifying is because I watched my Uncle have a seizure and saw him being taken away by the ambulance.

This year my Aunt did not hold a Christmas Get together.