Christmas In Milan Italy

This Christmas started out just the same as all thee other one's I mean mom baking her famous fruit cake while my two aunt argue back and forth over my uncle Paulie being late with the turkey again spending hours on his famous meatball sauce quite the ritual as everyone does their part about midday thee sorting of Christmas lights awaiting aunt sister Mary Agnes to come strolling in with a fresh cut tree she finds every year at Our lady of Mount Carmel faithfully father carmine always picks the wreath bringing a bottle of Russo to enhance the mood but what did i know soon pop rushes to the cellar retrieving his state of thee art phonographic record player way before our time he would say struggling with the cords of an old RCA clutching his 78 record collection of frank Sinatra Mario Lanza Nat King Cole the Andrew sisters Lawrence welk by now i had drifted into stage four of boredom when the annual box of ornaments pass by being carried by my clumsy brother Anthony tangled in the cords of pop's record player again he chuckles at the busy lad the song began to sound my Nona and uncle Luigi start arranging the chairs making a dance floor Italian pastries are being served with long belly laughs forcefully bringing them all to tears year after year my aunts began to cry with happiness pinching cheeks when everyone stop's what they were doing to join in a tarantella dance pop catches me pouting he began to sing along chanting his favorite song capturing my smile with what's a matter you hey what are gonna say hey don't you like a this place hey shut up a your face