Life As We Knew It

On Christmas Eve, the family is talking about past Christmases when they hear singing from outside. They trudge through the snow to find a group of neighbors singing Christmas carols, and join in. Everyone is elated, and the mood is reminiscent of times before the moon event decimated the world. When Christmas arrives, Miranda says that it is the best one she has ever had. The family enjoys their time together and, to everyone’s surprise, they have all secretly found gifts for one another. Miranda gets a new watch, as her old one stopped working a while back. Matt and Jonny give their mother a picture of her as a child being held by her parents, which they found in Mrs. Nesbitt’s attic. Miranda recalls the Christmas after her parents divorced, and how each parent bought them so many presents to compensate for the change. At one time, she thought that must have been the best Christmas ever, but now she realizes that this Christmas—with its secondhand gifts and the fear of dying—is the best Christmas, and exemplifies what the holiday is meant to be about.