Why I love the holidays.
Twinkling lights, the warm smell of cinnamon, carolers trying their best to bring cheer to you and all those around (at no cost except a smile) -- it's no wonder this time of year is called "the most wonderful". Each year as summer descends to fall and fall to brown and gray ick, there's a flicker of hope and excitement that brings joy back to the hearts of the northern states -- the holiday season.
As a young child I remember waking on a crisp November morning, jumping from my bed and rushing to the living room to see a sight that only came once a year -- the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The sounds of marching bands, the sight of holiday floats like Garfield and Snoopy, all the while Dad and Mom are preparing a Thanksgiving Day feast in the kitchen a room away. My brothers and I would always drag out our matchbox cars and build race tracks to test who had the fastest cars (of course I did, at least that's the way I remember it).
Looking back at times like these it's clear to me that the holiday's are more than just the traditions, the food, the presents -- it's about the warm family memories that store in your heart forever. The moments that happen as all those other things run their course around you. This holiday I encourage you not to focus on the larger whole, but find your lifelong moment, something small, something simple that belongs only to you. So when the long cold winter comes after the most wonderful time of the year ends, you have a hope to hold on to. Something to get you through until the most wonderful time of the year returns... next year.
