In my life, there are few things that I look forward to more than the Christmas season. The holidays really bring my family together each and every year. Whether it is finally seeing my favorite cousins home from college, or just the fact that I spend special, precious time with my grandfather, I am probably happiest during the month of December.
In my household, there are a couple of sacred traditions that my family always does together. Unfortunately, due to the current state of my home, we cannot venture off to one of Fairfield County's tree farms to cut down our own real Christmas tree. This year most of our Christmas activities will take place in the unfamiliarity of someone else's home, something I am usually not comfortable with, but for this year, will make an exception. That being said, I still have as much Christmas spirit as ever before.
My family still has other traditions intact for this year though (Thank you ABC Family). Nothing beats a warm night sitting by the fire watching Elf or Home Alone with my family. We also always listen to Christmas music every time we travel in the car. Personally my favorite song is a Bruce Springsteen cover for Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Just listening to Clarence nail those notes on the saxophone just sends chills down my spine.
The anticipation for Christmas Eve is tremendous. It is the one day a year that I have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal with all 18 relatives of mine, and thus is very special to me. Although my Nanny has only gotten older, she still manages to prepare the most amazing menu known to man. I also try my best to help her at least set the table, just because she is so notoriously reluctant for any help with the food. It is honestly the least I could do to show my appreciation, and so hopefully one day I will be able to reimburse her for everything she has done for me.
Anyways, with Christmas spirit comes this overwhelming sense of love. As a teenager, I will be honest; there are instances when I just need space from my family. However, during Christmas time, I cherish every moment spent together. It is crazy to think this, but the older and older I get, the more I realize that I only have about five to six Christmases left before I am on my own. Typically I am excited to grow up and experience what the world has in store for me. Yet I am also going to be really sad to see my childhood lost forever.
One thing I have come to accept about Christmas is that it really is not about the gifts I receive. I used to be obsessed with ripping off wrapping paper to the latest technology. However, now the smaller things please me even more. I love collecting books every Christmas. My mom has been adding to my personal library since I was in elementary school.
This weekend particularly, I am looking forward to spending time with my family. Rather than worry about what's to come, I plan on just living in the moment, because blink once, and it’s gone like that.
