Every Year, Christmas time gives an incredible feeling of excitement and gratefulness for the family, friends, and hometown I get to share it with. My mom has always done a great job of making each Christmas "the best day ever" with the amount of effort she puts into the traditions, the decorations, and the time we get to spend together. However, she has also taught me that Christmas is much more than just the illusion of its perfection.

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, the Lord I believe in, and it is in his celebration that this holiday is celebrated. But again, Christmas means even more than just his birth. Christmas is about celebrating the values Jesus wants to see in us, about surrounding ourselves around those who love us most, and about being thankful for having another year to celebrate it.

It is a holiday that feels magical no matter what age. When we are young, we believe in Santa, and we know he is coming down our chimneys, we better be asleep, and we better be good if we don't want to find coal in our stockings. Going to sleep was so difficult because of how exciting it was to see what Santa brought. As a teenager, I truly started to appreciate what and who meant most to me in my life. I thought about a deeper meaning of Christmas, that it was all about sharing something so special with my loved ones. As an adult, I will smile and be giddy on Christmas morning when my children come downstairs to see what Santa brought them, and as an elder, I will be pleasantly looking back on all the fond memories I have of Christmas past.

There is so much bad news circulating my family, other families, and the world in general, and Christmas becomes a day where we can leave the bad behind for just a little while and live in the now. Attitudes of negativity can be completely spun 360 degrees on Christmas to an outlook of positivity. It is the perfect day to consume happiness and radiate it to everyone around us.

Christmas is the perfect time to give back to others when you can. I strongly enjoy participating in food drives, clothing drives, and in my high school years, my favorite event was the gingerbread-build, where we raised money while making gingerbread houses for soldiers in need. There are so many ways to help others during the holiday season, and I believe that those who can participate should because it truly opens up the heart to what Christmas really means.

Fill your holiday with love, gratefulness, and a giving attitude! Trust me, no matter the circumstances, those values will make it more special than you could imagine! With this post, I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and beautiful holiday, and a successful new year. May it be filled with family, friends, and Christmas cheer! Biggest piece of Christmas advice: Make the most out of this holiday because you never know how many more holidays you'll get in this life, and we may as well enjoy the most wonderful time of the year to its fullest.