Sitting in my living room after taking down the Thanksgiving decorations and looking at all of the Christmas decorations my family has set out. I can see the boxes of the rest of the decorations that need to be set out as well as the tree in the box. My dog is snuggled in her blanket with my dad beside her. My mom and my sister are intently watching a Hallmark Christmas movie and I'm taking it all in. I love everything about what I see.

Christmas is my favorite holiday but it isn't my favorite because of the gifts. Family comes together. People get nicer. No act of kindness is too small and no act of love is too big. It seems that communities come together and that we do what we can to see that others feel loved. We do our best to show those we cherish how much we appreciate them with tokens of gratitude. We read the Christmas story out of the Bible and we are more willing to share our testimonies. With each passing day, our hearts become more open to the joy of the season.

While in college, it seems like it is almost impossible to feel the joy of Christmas. With several finals, weeks of projects that pile up and the stress of finding gifts while trying to study. On top of all of that, we begin to feel homesick and want nothing more than to be surrounded by those traditions we hold so dear and consider vital to the holiday season. It makes you wonder if Christmas exists anymore. I myself find it hard to see the joy in the season as I continue on with my preset schedule.

This year, I propose counting down to Christmas. What if with each passing day, we saved a dollar, studied an extra hour and watching an extra Christmas movie. With each day, eliminate the stress and bring on the joy. Bake cookies or go look at Christmas lights. Decorate your dorm and blast the holiday music. Don't be sucked into a pit of negativity when it should be a joyous season.