Christmas is hard enough for everyone when they have such large families but it's even more difficult when that large family lives over 900 miles away.

Every year since I can remember I have always attended Christmas parties that both sides of my family hosted. Tons of food, plenty of gifts, and more family members than I could keep track of.

But for the last few years, my Christmases have not been the same. I live in New England and my family lives in Georgia. It's nice getting Christmas cards and phone calls but it's not the same as seeing everyone in person.

I remember being a child, a little older than my son, attending my grandmother's Christmas party. EVERYONE on my mom's side of the family would be there and I would spend hours playing with my cousins.

We would run and play inside and out until one of the adults would call us in for dinner. There would be dinner and dessert, food everywhere. After everyone had a full belly and the adults had their coffee, we would all gather around and open presents that the families would buy to exchange.

We would start with my grandmother since she was the host then the rest of the family would all exchange gifts. The gifts never really were my main focus, I just loved being able to spend the time with my family.

Over the years that hasn't really changed. I couldn't care less about presents, I just want to be with my family and revel in the special moments that are made from all of us being together.

When asked what I want for Christmas I can never really give an answer because the thing I want most is just to have a good time with my family. I don't need material possessions to make the holiday better. As long as my family is happy, I don't need anything else to make it special.

I do the traditional things for my family, I send Christmas cards to everyone with a special message inside, I call my family favorites and wish them happy holidays, I decorate my house and put up the tree, wrap the presents and put them out on Christmas eve after the kiddo falls asleep.

My hope for the New Year is that I see all my family more. We were all very close at one point and I would like for it to be that way again. My son doesn't get to see his cousins as much as I did when I was a kid. I want more than anything for him to experience the joy of being family.

Christmas for me isn't about the things I get but about the people that I'm surrounded with, after all that's the real reason for the season, right? Sharing the holiday with the people that matter the most to you, not receiving a bunch of gifts and taking credit for the gifts given, it's about being with family and remembering how special it is to celebrate with them.