I'm fairly certain Christmas is my favorite Holiday.

For one or two weeks before Christmas, we do something called Novena. We gather around with our family and friends to read from a little book that contains the story of Jesus. We rotate homes and each person makes different food. We sing and enjoy time with others.

That really helps with getting into the Christmas spirit. From that point forward, all I listen to is Christmas music. Spanish and English alike.

I love presents but mostly I like the anticipation of getting them. I like being around my family only because we're happy and thankful.

I hang out with my friends, too. We give each other gifts and spend time with one another, reflecting on another year of friendship. It's a really nice experience.

On Christmas Eve, we settle into our pajamas and really, just wait around until midnight. We cook pernil and all these other awesome things while we watch Christmas movies.

Then, at midnight we swoop under the tree and get our presents.

My favorite thing about Christmas is being happy and thankful for the people I'm around. Christmas is a time where everyone is jolly and enjoying life, I think we need a lot of that these days.