In the spirit of the the giving season, I decided to give my opinion on the ultimate Christmas list, especially considering the type of year we've had. 2016 has been, by far, the most unexplainable year I have lived. From losing a list of celebrated individuals like Prince and David Bowie, to electing a man as our President who we never thought would make it as far as he did, I think that this year for Christmas, we need to reflect on the values, morals, and skills we may have lost this year in reaction to the curves 2016 has thrown at us, and perhaps we should be asking for those lost items rather than materialistic items. Without further delay, here are five things humanity has lost, but can still gain back through work.

5. Patience- Whether it comes to listening to your coworker tell you the same story he just told you 20 minutes ago, or if your friend comes to you asking for advice on an issue she's been dealing with for months, we should reconsider how we look at these situations. Instead of groaning because of the inconvenience, we should develop more patience, and maybe appreciate that these people look for us in their time of need, rather than others. It really says something about the impact you have on a person.

4. Respect- It has come to a point in this world were we are too diverse to not be able to respect everyone, because we'll end up hating everyone if we don't learn. What difference does it make if a man walking across the street makes a decision we don't necessarily agree with. Rule of thumb, if it doesn't directly hurt you, mind your business.

3. Compassion- Why have we lost the ability to each other cope with our pitfalls? The support you can give to someone in their time of need may mean the difference between progress and catastrophe.

2. The Ability to Laugh- and more importantly at ourselves...Life is too short to take everything so seriously. Spend time with those who make you laugh, find a movie that makes you laugh, watch funny cat videos on Youtube until you can't breath. Laughter is the best medicine.

1. The Ability to Love- to love one another, as our own family, because in the end we are all the same on the inside. Love wholly, love endlessly, love unconditionally. Love is stronger against hate, and its effect is contagious.