Slide 2:
It all started in November, close to my dad’s birthday. He had mentioned that he wanted
something different to celebrate… but none of us could have imagined that "different" would
involve an accident. That day, nearly the entire family ended up with minor burns from a
small fire incident. The strangest thing was that, despite having already set up the nativity
scene, the Christmas tree, and all the decorations, none of them caught fire. Only we were
startled. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, and even though my dad wasn’t feeling his best on his
birthday, we still managed to celebrate with a video call, a banner, and some balloons that
my mum brought to him.
Slide 3:
A few days later, he was discharged, and we could celebrate his day properly. I was about six
years old, and although everything had been a bit chaotic, I thought Christmas would still be
as usual… but it wasn’t.
Slide 4:
On the 24th of December, we were all gathered: my parents, my grandparents, my uncles, my
brother, and me. As always, the house had been decorated since the end of November. While
we were having lunch, someone mentioned it was very hot. My grandmother, ever so
practical, pulled out an old fan that no one had seen in years. It was plugged in, and suddenly,
there was a burning smell.
Slide 5:
We got worried, but nothing seemed wrong on the first floor. We went upstairs to check, and
in one of the rooms, we noticed something strange behind a glass door. Flames were visible,
and my aunt unlocked the door to see what was happening. The ceiling light was sparking and
looked like it might catch fire.
Slide 6:
We all stood there, staring at the ceiling as it started burning. After a few seconds, ideas
started flying, but none seemed great. Someone said:
—"We should pour water on it!"
But if we did that, we might get electrocuted. Then, another uncle suggested:
—"Then throw some dirt on it!"
But if we did, the furniture below would get dirty. In the end, someone decided to turn off the
electricity, which solved the problem on that floor. Still, we went up to the third floor to make
sure everything was fine.
Slide 7:
There we found my grandfather (on my mum’s side), a bit upset because the ceiling light had
also been sparking there. He told us he had pulled out some wires, which had fixed
everything.
Slide 8:
That night, we spent Christmas Eve by candlelight, something very different from what we
were used to. Although it was stressful at first, everything calmed down over time. In the end,
it was a unique Christmas, but the most important thing was that we were all together, no one
got hurt, and now we laugh whenever we tell this story.
