Christmas. It's one of my favorite holidays; I just love the lights and the cookies, all of the festive music and the holiday cheer. It's been something I always look forward to, even as a small child, but as I've grown up and changed, Christmas has, too.

I no longer get to spend all of the weeks leading up to Christmas after Thanksgiving prepping for the big man to visit. As a student who goes to school several states away from home, I don't get as much time away from campus and at home as I'd like sometimes. The days that I do get to spend at home, however, are so much more appreciated than they were even just a couple of years ago. Spending time with my family is a treat, even if I do still want to strangle them sometimes.

I no longer write Santa Claus a list to give to my parents to mail away, hoping that the big guy gets my wishes and provides the goods come Christmas morning. The time I used to spend worrying about what I would ask to get for the holiday, I now spend worrying about what to get others.

Growing up comes with a lot of changes and the holidays is one of them. You grow to appreciate the people you spend the holiday with more and more and not just the things you receive. You begin to look forward to giving gifts you pick out for someone and feeling the joy that only comes when you put a smile on friend or family member's face.

For me, Christmas is spending time with my large, crazy family eating great food and playing games. It's something we do every year without fail and it's something I've always loved about the holidays. Now that I'm older, getting to see my family means even more that they aren't just a hop and a skip away. It's so much more important to me to get to see the people I haven't seen all year, because not only am I growing up and away from home, but my family is, too. Siblings and cousins are growing up, going to school and getting jobs. Family members move, get married and get older.

As the years go by, I realize how much getting everyone together on Christmas means to me. I get to catch up with cousins, reunite with aunts and uncles. I get to love my grandparents and spend more time with the family I feel like I hardly get to see anymore. I get to listen to the things everyone has been up to and see how everyone is changing as time passes us by.

Christmas in college is a lot different than Christmas was when I was still at home, but the distance and the differences make it worth so much more.