I love holidays. I love getting flowers on Valentine’s Day, wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, coloring eggs on Easter, watching fireworks on the fourth of July, eating ridiculous amounts of candy on Halloween, and eating even more ridiculous amounts of turkey on Thanksgiving.
And I can’t help but love Christmas.
It’s time again for the winter holiday season to come around. Stores are already filled with decorated Christmas trees, and shoppers are going crazy. But the holiday season isn’t just about giving and receiving gifts, Christmas is about spending time with my family.
Throughout the month of December, we bond more as a whole. We take time between school and work to decorate and have more family days at Disney, like we used to when we vacationed here.
Being an only child, I’m my parents little helper when it’s time to put up the tree and outdoor decorations. It’s nothing like the Grizwold’s decor, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love our simple, traditional, family decorating. We always buy a box of candy canes, and hang them on the tree with our ornaments.
Christmas Eve and Christmas are two very important days. Though we don’t have a minute-by-minute schedule that we follow every year, we tend to keep the same traditions going.
When I was young and living in Chicago, every Christmas Eve I left cookies and milk out for Santa. Christmas morning we would attend mass, then return home and open presents. Later in the day, my family room in our basement would be filled with my cousins running around, and playing with presents from all of the aunts and uncles.
In Florida, we have a small gathering of my parents, my grandparents, along with my aunt and uncle. Every year we do things in a different order, but we always go to church, open presents, have Christmas dinner, and eat large amounts of cookies and kolaches in between. I have to say, I miss showing off my new American Girl Dolls to my cousins.
But now that I’m older, I appreciate more about this holiday season. I appreciate those “annoying bell-ringers” outside of the grocery store, and I often buy canned food to donate and give change to their organizations. I feel more generous, because now I’ve realize what wonderful life I’ve grown up with.
The holiday season is about spreading cheer; it’s about being thankful for everything you have, and those who are in your life. Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.