The holidays are the best time of the year. No school. Lots of family. And "Star Wars."

That’s right, "Star Wars." I’ve been a true nerd for the franchise since I first watched the VHS copies as a kid. The ones where you had to fast forward past Leonard Maltin to get to the actual movie. I don’t remember a time before "Star Wars." Both my parents first saw the original film during its 1977 release and still speak about the experience of seeing it in theaters for the first time.

Over the holiday break I have significantly more free time. I use this to catch up with films, television, and spend time with home town friends. I also delve deep into the "Star Wars" universe. I normally develop a slate of things to take in for each "Star Wars" binge. For this year, my plan is to rewatch the original trilogy, read "Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel," "Path of Destruction: Darth Bane Book 1," "Star Wars: The Old Republic Epic Collection Vol. 1," and "Star Wars: Tales of The Jedi omnibus" and possibly replay some of "Knights of The Old Republic." I won’t get to all of it, as I also want to golf, brew, barhop, and write. Also, thanks to my older brother, I already have my IMAX tickets for "Rogue One" booked for December 17^th and I couldn’t be happier. The concept of having a new "Star Wars" film every year means I always have an excuse to delve back into the universe and the mythology will always be growing and expanding. The film series is currently batting four for seven in my book, which is pretty damn good for a franchise spanning forty years.

Things kicked off this year when I watched "A New Hope" while writing this article.

"Star Wars" is something that I share with my friends and my family. We talk about the universe, we talk about the characters, but most importantly, we talk about how we felt when we first took it all in. As a fan who grew up with the franchise, "The Force Awakens" was a big deal. Lucasfilm and Disney did an excellent job of playing on my emotions. I’m not really a crier, but I can honestly say that I teared up at least three or four times during my first viewing of the picture. That’s why I love "Star Wars," I have invested so much into this franchise, I know the characters, factions, and worlds better than almost anyone.

An obsession of this kind might be called childish. Maybe that's a valid label, but that's part of what makes "Star Wars" so magical. It is the rare breed of story that has the ability to transport someone to their childhood. "The Force Awakens" made me cry when I was transported back to a fantastic, magical place of heroes and villains that I discovered a long time ago, when I was a child. That’s the reason I love this universe. For the holiday months when I am allowed to go home and live at the house I grew up in, I can also pretend for just a few hours a day that my life is as simple as it was during childhood. This was a time where I didn't worry about my future, student debts, or about all of the adult

things that I know will continue throughout the rest of my life. For me, nothing does this better than the watching Luke's heroic actions of the trench run sequence or Han Solo's stoic presence just before he is about to be frozen in carbonite, These truely are magical moment that can transport both adults and children alike to a galaxy far, far away.