o Now, although everyone has different holiday rituals and celebrations based off traditions, religions, etc., my family and I celebrate Christmas. Now yes, you may be opposed to how I interpret Christmas but that’s 100% okay! To me Christmas is much, much more than just the presents and food and cold weather. It’s one of my favorite holidays because I get spend it with my family and friends that I adore. Not only for me is it a day where spend it with my family but, I also celebrate my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ during this time. I never stop giving thanks at any time in my life, I especially never stop giving it to the Lord above, I may give more during the holidays but I never ever stop giving thanks. For many who truly know me they know what a huge impact my Great Grandmother had on my life. She was the one who always brought me to church. She made sure that I knew at a young age that I am a child of God and taught me to live for him. Granted, I don’t live the way she did but that’s okay because I believe that he loves everyone for who they are and no one could make me believe otherwise.
o Now, I know that you can always spend time with people you love, but Christmas spirit adds much more to it. The giving, the smiles, the laughter. It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world being able to come home, surrounded by those you love, or dedicating your time to helping other people in a world that’s not so nice and accepting of everyone anymore. You can’t walk down the road with people saying something derogatory towards you, male or female. You can’t walk into a store and be treated as fair depending on your skin color nowadays. Sometimes the people who protest that this isn’t true also don’t live the life that you do with your first hand experiences. I feel that Christmas time is the one of very few times where all that disappears. Of course just because I feel that it disappears doesn’t mean that it does in any way. Mostly I think that even though we can be cruel and mean to each other (in a world that was pretty much built on people living and working together) that people during the holidays have a change of heart when really they should carry with them all year round.
o Giving back to those who are in need are one of my favorite things to do when expressing the holiday cheer and season. In high school I was volunteered to help people, I didn’t do it for the hours, I didn’t do it for the chord or stole at graduation, I did it because it made me happy knowing I was making someone else’s day that maybe had a bad one to start off with. You never know a person’s story and the holiday season is one of the few that truly can touch the hearts of others if you decide to reach out.
o These are my opinions and beliefs but if something in here sticks out to you in some way, feel free to make a change this holiday season whether it be give away old clothes, volunteer to help people in need, something to show your love and appreciation for others, you may not know them and you may not 100% agree with the way they live but remember it’s not about you, it’s about them and that you can make a world of difference with a smile, a helping hand, a small conversation, anything could make their day better, you never know. There’s always something magical about the holiday season, go out and see what magic is in store for you this year. 😊