The speaker, Jaiden, is discussing their experiences growing up in Arizona, where they haven't experienced traditional seasons like winter. They express a desire to see colorful leaves change before they die, and how their family's celebration of Christmas has influenced their perception of winter. They also share humorous anecdotes about visiting family in Canada and South Lake Tahoe, where they've experienced snow and skiing.
Jaiden recounts a traumatic experience while skiing in South Lake Tahoe when their father accidentally took them to the top of a 'double black diamond' trail, the most challenging level. The speaker and their younger brother had to descend the steep, mogul-filled slope on their own, which was a terrifying experience. Despite the incident, Jaiden's parents expressed pride in their children's resilience.
1. The speaker is from Arizona and has not experienced winter in the traditional sense.
2. The speaker's winter is based more on the "holiday seasonal" feeling, with Christmas trees, pretty lights, and really good smelling candles.
3. The speaker's family celebrates Christmas, so they think of winter as Christmas trees, pretty lights, and really good smelling candles.
4. The speaker has a fondness for candles and enjoys visiting candle stores to smell all the candles.
5. The speaker's family lives in Canada and South Lake Tahoe, both of which are snowy areas.
6. The speaker has visited Canada and South Lake Tahoe during winter.
7. The speaker's family enjoys skiing, and they visit South Lake Tahoe every year or two for a couple of days to ski.
8. The speaker has a traumatic memory from a skiing trip in South Lake Tahoe when they were taken to the top of a very steep mountain labeled a 'double black diamond'.
9. The speaker's younger brother went down the mountain at high speed, and the speaker had to inch down the mountain on their butt in skis with the help of a stranger.
10. The speaker was lucky not to have gotten seriously hurt during the incident.
11. The speaker's parents were apologetic after the incident, but the speaker was mad and did not want any shirts from the gift shop that said: "I survived the WALL".