It is the most wonderful time of the year. The holidays are a spirit-filled time spent with family and friends where the utmost cheer is spread. It also happens to be the time where the biggest voids in your heart are felt, the time where loved ones who have been lost are missed the most.

Every day is a struggle when you lose someone you love, but during a time where togetherness is the most important, it tends to be just a little harder to move on without the ones you love. A part of you will never feel the same this time of year; the emptiness in your heart may never be fully complete. But, if you let the absence of certain people you love keep you from creating more memories with the rest of the people you love, how will you ever have anything to look back on in the future?

This time of year is not about the presents or the competition for better Christmas lights or the parties for New Years. These times together with family and friends are the precious moments that you will cherish in your life forever. Supporting one another and creating bonds are what makes missing a loved one easier. Your loved ones would not want your holidays to be spent wishing and mourning, but instead celebrating.

Celebrate the life you have with the people who are with you right now. Celebrate the times you had with the loved ones you lost and their lives when they were still with you. Celebrate the possibilities and opportunities you have to look forward to for the future. Every single moment is worth celebrating with the people who mean the most.

It is the most wonderful time of year. Focus on the people around you and you will find yourself surrounded by so much love and cheer that you can feel the presence of those loved ones. Allow yourself to radiate, letting their light shine through you.

Live in the moment and enjoy every little thing, for one day you will look back on these times together and realize they meant the world.