It’s the “most wonderful time of the year” once again. Every year, it seems like it gets here just a little bit faster. There are so many things going on in December – one of those things happens to be Finals Week. Just like any other college student, it has been a semester full of some fun and some not so fun moments. Thankfully, after all that craziness, we have some time to just relax and spend some time celebrating some fun holiday traditions with our families!

So, what does Christmas mean to me? Whenever I think of my past Christmas’s, I always think of how much fun I got to spend with my family. Unfortunately, it has been pretty hot in North Carolina during the holiday season in the past couple of years and we haven’t had a “white” Christmas in a while. We have still gotten to enjoy the bonfires and hot chocolate - just without the cold biting at our noses! Even still, Christmas isn’t Christmas because of the cold. Christmas is Christmas because first and foremost, we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

As a kid, Christmas was when you saw the family that you only saw about 2 times a year: Once at Christmas and once at Walmart if you randomly run into each other. I always enjoyed spending time with everyone and catching up with what was going on in life. As I have gotten older and Christmases have become less and less about all the presents you can get and the newest toys you can play with, I have learned that we really should focus on who we have. We have our families to celebrate this very important holiday with and we have our friends, too!

We should never forget that technically, Christmas is about love and giving. God loved us so much that he gave us his Son. That is the most important gift of all! I have learned this year that family means a lot. Even when your whole family can't be together for Christmas, the next best thing is celebrating a few days later if it means you will be together.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a great week!!

Sydney