**Created by:** Genezhine **You Can Find Me At:** ‘genezhine’ or ‘gene’ --- The smell of fresh brewed coffee and newly baked bread filled the interior of the house. It was tradition that mother would bake before it was time to gather around the fireplace and the tree in the living room. Father was outside gathering wood for the fireplace in his wind resistant padded jacket and thick leather gloves, he always brought his hunting rifle with him for some reason. Ivan and I shared a bedroom at the time so we were just upstairs in our room playing with our toys that we had received from Santa that morning. I can still vividly hear the heavy and slowed footsteps and the voice of my father when he came back inside after his finished task to tell us it was time to gather. Ivan and I quickly ran downstairs past our father who was always stunned by our eagerness but it always put a smile on his scarred face. Mother was already sitting on the sofa in the living room with the table already set with bread, snacks and drinks for us to enjoy, her face lit up the room. It was hard to see the snow falling outside since our windows were boarded up but mother always put on our favorite christmas movies on the tv for us to experience. The loud crackling and other noises from the outside were muffled as father increased the volume on the tv. I was always stuffing my face full of mother’s amazing bread as Ivan repeated after me. We sat close, mother and father had their arms wrapped around us like paper. Fitting, huh… Father usually had to get up and go outside to gather more wood from time to time. I didn’t think much of it, as he always returned, a little exhausted but that was to be expected. After all, an axe can be a heavy…tool. What I came to realize in my later years is that not everything is always as it seems. But parents do everything in their power to keep us safe and happy. When writing this, in retrospect, I notice the signs were always there. I was just too young, joyful and naive to believe the world was always in deep turmoil. Love you Mother, Father and Ivan. Merry Christmas.