On a cold one but somehow cozy Christmas Eve at my Grandma’s pleasant house in 2008, her house was crowded with all of my relatives around the family room.  The room had a festive look to it from the tree and decorations.  When the Christmas celebration concluded, we will go home and go to sleep to wait for Santa.
I am the oldest of my cousins, and I didn’t have many gifts unlike my younger cousins.  I figured since I am older that I would get less presents, but I still wanted more.  I noticed a sparkling present about three by three under the tree, so I thought that was a toy that I would love.   Naturally, I wanted to open it.  As I started opening it, I realized that it was just cool clothes, so I started to become a little sad.  For some reason after everyone opened his or her presents, my grandpa brought out a gloomy, grayish brown box.  I started wondering whose present it was. 

I asked, “Whose present is that?”

My Grandma said, “It’s yours.”

Then my heart started beating faster because everyone was watching me open it.  As I started to open it, I realized it was a vibrant guitar an Ibanez acoustic guitar.

“Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you,” I said as I gave them hugs.

Then I picked up the guitar.  I loved the rippling like a wave feel of the guitar strings.  The guitar shined like a star.  Also, it had such a distinct sound.  It was like a screech of happiness. 

The feel of the guitar was amazing. The feel of the adoring wooden frame and neck just made me want to play it.  There was a powerless plastic chip used for plucking the strings which makes it sound even better that is called a guitar pick.  I was grateful to own this instrument.

When I first saw the hollow guitar, I thought it was the coolest item that I have ever received as a gift.  At the time it was a bit big for me.  I could barely play standing up because of my small size.  It had a nice tan color to it, and the guitar looked like a mirror.  When I shined a light on it, it illuminated a room.  When I would look at it, I thought that it had a vibrant view that just made me want to play it.

No one in my family but I know how to play guitar now.  My grandfather on my dad’s side and my grandma on my mom’s side used to know how to play it.  My grandmother forgot how to play, and my grandfather just will not admit that he used to know how to play.  When I first started playing the guitar, it had a unpleasant sound like a dying raccoon.

Now that I have played for a few years now, I can make it have a twangy sound for certain songs.  I think that it has great acoustics. (It is an acoustic guitar, after all).  I have worked on the art of making it sound as elegant as possible by putting on new strings, so it sounds like an angel.  Compared to electric guitars, it is extremely quiet because with an electric the guitar can make a house shake depending on the amp.

To this day I still love to play it, and it is a good hobby to take up if anyone wants a great activity to do.  I happen to own four different guitars, two knock-offs and one is a knock off of a Stratocaster and the other a Les Paul.  The other two are my favorite, and I play them the most.  One is an Epiphone Les Paul model, and, of course, I still have my acoustic Ibanez.  I love to learn and play new music that I can find.  All the uncomfortable music I play, I try out on my acoustic to know how it will sound, and then I go to try it on my electric.  I have realized that, that cold Christmas Eve night has sparked my musical interest.