I think we can all agree the Christmas is the most magical time of the year. Even though we aren't kids anymore, we still get excited to go down on Christmas morning and open presents around the tree with our families. But, the most magical part is just being with your family. Surrounding yourself with all the people you love, enjoying each other's company- that's the real magic.

My mom always says to me that even though there honestly isn't a real Santa Claus, his spirit is real. She says that his spirit brings everyone together, and makes everyone happy. I never fully understood this growing up. I agreed with her, but never really knew what she meant by that.

Well, a couple of years ago I started to understand what she meant. Growing up, we always went to my grandparent's house for Christmas Eve. When my Grandpa passed away my sophomore year of high school, things just weren't the same for the holidays. He would always get us the biggest, craziest gifts. He was always so jolly on Christmas; it was his favorite holiday. I remember how excited he was to see the look on our faces when we opened our gifts, and how he would always say, "Wait, one second I have one more thing in the garage" (which was always the biggest present). He would always have his records playing and dance with us as kids. There are so many good memories with him. The thing that I didn't understand back then was that it's not about the presents. It's not about how big it was, or how new it was. It was about the people, the look on their face when they see the gift. His underlying love for his family to be happy is what brought him so much joy.

Needless to say, my Grandpa is the one who made me realize to appreciate the little things. Even though it goes unsaid, I know all of us are thinking about him every Christmas Eve, wishing he was with us.

We all miss the joy he brought on the holidays. But I know that during the holidays, he is our Santa Claus. He is the spirit that keeps my family together and closes, and even though he is not here physically, I know every year that he is right there with us, sitting around the tree laughing and dancing with us.

There is something special about the holiday season, and it's not the presents. It's something intangible, something that one can't explain. It's the feeling you get when you go downstairs on Christmas morning. It's feeling of love from the people you're surrounded by, blood-related or not. It's the spirit that makes people do random acts of kindness. It's the spirit that brings people joy, and that is truly something magical.