December 5, 2012

three things: christmas

I love Christmas. Seriously love it. It's my favourite holiday and favourite time of year. As soon as the 1st of December hits, I'm ready to get in the Christmas spirit! Last Christmas was a bit of an adjustment, having to organize different schedules, and go from one family celebration to another. I'm determined to not have any stress this year, and to just enjoy the season that I love so much! There are countless things that I love about the days leading up to December 25th (and even beyond), but here are the three main reasons why I love Christmas:

1. Traditions. Growing up, my family had so many little Christmas traditions, whether it was getting out our homemade advent calendar, watching White Christmas, or eating my dad's sticky buns on Christmas morning. Now that I'm older, I'm building new Christmas traditions, ones including Rob and now my niece Penny. Some of the traditions I hold on to and still continue, but I look forward to the new ones I will form over the next few years.


2. The Spirit. There's definitely something special that happens around this time of year, especially when the snow begins to fall here in Ontario. Working in a charity, I certainly notice the increase in charitable donations, and people just generally seem to be NICER. When I'm sitting with my family, enjoying Christmas goodies, looking at the twinkling lights on the tree, and wearing a cozy winter sweater, I get this little warm feeling in my stomach...a feeling of love and contentment. I also reflect on what Christmas really means to me; the story of Jesus' birth and how that amazing story effects my life today.


3. Music! I LOVE Christmas music (not all, but most!). Nothing gets me into a Christmas mood more than some wonderful music of the season. I love that there are carols that are timeless, and still enjoyed by people today, hundreds of years later.


I know I'm spouting annoying Christmas cheer already, but I hope that you feel love this holiday season. For some people, Christmas can be a tough time for a variety of reasons (myself included. While I love this season, there are people that I really miss during this time of year), so I hope that we can all do our best to make everyone feel welcomed and loved (and obviously this should be something that we pursue all year round!).

20 days until Christmas!!!

<3 Lo