Christmas Time

Wow do I love Christmas time! For many years of my life it was my sanctuary. It was a time, were as a kid, I would get a break from the stress, worry, and anxiety of schooling. A time were I could always escape the circumstances of my life, and just be me.  Christmas was when my parent's place would be decorated to the nine's with the most beautiful Christmas Tree, with over a hundred ornaments, with even more decorations throughout the house.  A sent of mistletoe in the air, with homemade gingerbread men that I would always steal when my mom wasn't looking and create gingerbread men villages.  Each cottage had a different "man" that had it's own personality that related to a whole community.  My mom always knew where the cookies went, always displaying my creation on Christmas morning.

Oh, Christmas morning!  What an assortment of awesomeness, a ritual unlike anything a J person like me could hope for.  My mom, who many would say is a world class gift wrapper (just ask my elementary school teachers or anyone that's got a gift by her lol, to bad I didn't get that gift :P), would have wrapped all our gifts and put them under the tree.  Big packages, small packages, big bows, small bows, wrapped to perfection, each gift a small work of art.  With care and due diligence, my sisters and I would move the gifts and stack them in three piles in the family room.  And then with reverence we would take turns, one gift at a time, opening what we had got for Christmas.  A sight I know I'm probably exaggerating, but to me those memories are nothing but extraordinary.  Remembering the feeling of elation when my parents had gotten exactly what I wanted, had taken notice of what I said.  It was always in that moment that I felt most like family, the most connected with my parents and siblings.

So this Christmas season, I thought, I want to bring a little of what I love so much to everyone around me. But how? Sort of like how the Grinch Stole Christmas, but in reverse :D! I thought, I really want to bring the Christmas to Whoville, so let's throw a Christmas Party!  And Boy was it great! When I was inviting people to the party, I thought, well its the weekend before finals, I don't think that many people will show.  And oh how I was wrong!  More than I could have imagined showed up!  I honestly didn't even have enough dinner for everyone (my bad)!  But it turned out great, we had a Gingerbread man creation contest (wonder were I got that idea from) that saw creativity never seen before, White Elephant gift exchange which is always a blast, and watched the undeniably hilarious Elf!  I couldn't believe how in-to-it all college students were!  I was like this is to awesome for words! Hugs all around lol!

But the night before the Christmas Party, I gave my friends their gifts for Christmas! To me this was sort of an experiment. I wanted to see if the same feeling of elation and connectedness could occur when other people received gifts, and of course I just wanted to love on them because their awesome!  Needless to say, there faces were priceless. As each gift was being unwrapped, watching the person's face go from curiosity, sometimes confusion (lol A-Lowe), and turn to that elated feeling, of someone understanding them.  It was awesome!  Maybe my friends didn't ask for that gift, but it was so personalized to them, that most of my friends just said "Wow".  I loved that moment. The fact that I could share in their joy, what a privilege, what an honor, something that I hope I always appreciate.

But I think the best part about this Christmas Season, was the excuse to tell everyone I loved them, there's nothing like saying I love you, and meaning it.  So Thanks everyone for a wonderful Christmas Season, I love you all!