Between the fall and spring semesters lies my favorite time of the year: Christmas. This is the time of the year where I feel the happiest. Also, Christmas gives me the perfect excuse to curl up next to the fireplace and drink a cup of hot chocolate while staring at the beautifully lit Christmas tree.

My Christmas traditions officially start the day after Thanksgiving when we partake in one of Knoxville's best Christmas traditions, the Fantasy of Trees. While walking around the convention center looking at all the uniquely decorated trees, I start taking note of how I want to decorate my own tree. There is even wreaths, dancing, games, activities for kids and the world's best coffee. This really gets me in the Christmas spirit. If you are ever in Knoxville during the week of Thanksgiving, I highly recommend experiencing the Fantasy of Trees for yourself.

I am a Christmas weirdo when it comes to wrapping presents. I schedule an entire day where I have the house to myself and I just wrap every single one of the gifts that I bought for others. I enjoy sitting on the floor of my living room surrounded by wrapping paper while watching a classic Hallmark Christmas movie. I am a sucker when it comes to a good Christmas romance movie, I am pretty sure that I inherited that from my mother.

Next is the endless baking. It would not be a Smith Christmas without baking dozens of cookies, dipping pretzels and Oreos, and my personal favorite, peppermint bark. Christmas baking is a time where we all get to be in the kitchen together and we are able to just talk to one another. This is probably one of my favorite bonding activities that we get to do during the Christmas season.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year because it is a time where I get to just spend time with my bonding. But it is also is important to me on a personal level.

I believe that Christmas is a time of celebration for Jesus' birth but it means much more then just that. It symbolizes the love the God had to send His son down to earth. There is no greater love then that.

So during Christmas, I really like to just show love and compassion towards everyone. I feel that if God can show me love even when I don't deserve it then I can do the same things to others. It is honestly the least that I can do.

On another note, I really want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!!