What Christmas Means to Me

Right now, in this moment, there is nothing more or less that I want. And it’s not because it’s Christmas. I just feel that I have come to appreciate the holidays for what they truly are. I don’t know how to capture it exactly, but I don’t feel that today is any more special than days prior and that makes me happy. In the past, I have felt the pressure of what the holidays should be. Gifts, parties, choosing the perfect outfit, looking fit, and spinning the optics of your life to seem perfect, just to name a few. I felt deeply caught up in the mainstream pageantry of it all. These were pressures I allowed to be placed on myself. This year I feel that I have finally divested from what this time of the year “should” be and allowed for it to be what it is. I am simply grateful for everything that I have today. Family, food, a home, and joy. These are precious things that money can only buy a small portion of. Everything else comes from within and the energy you surround yourself with. And with everything you receive, remember to give. Whatever you can and whatever seems right.

So, my gift to you is this:

• Close your eyes and take a deep breath.

• Say to yourself what three things you are grateful for.

• Tell someone how much you love them.

• Give what you can.