You never know the last time. You don't. All the marvelous inventions and rapid innovations in technology and we still cannot predict the last time we will see someone. We, most of the time, cannot say when someone's last day will be.

And so we will never know when is the last holiday we will spend with someone close.

I know the Holiday season is filled with stress, anxiety, running around, and seeing "those" cousins or aunt and uncle. It's full of feasting and then laying around wishing you hadn't of stuffed yourself with that extra helping of mashed potatoes. It's rooting for your team as you recline like Roman royalty on the couch, eating those delicious sugar cookies with the thin icing. There is more than enough to complain and stress about over the Holiday season, and believe me, I'm very tempted to do so at times.

But these are times we need to take advantage of and cherish. I know that sounds "Hallmarkish" but it's so true. We need to realize what is passing before our eyes and don't waste it.

Because one day you'll be sitting beside the tree with everyone else except for one. You'll be missing their rude remarks or their sarcastic attitude. You'll long for their laugh to fill the room as it once did. You'll miss getting and giving gifts from them. And most of all, you'll notice a difference in pictures, when they seemed to vanish.

Do I mean to get you all down before the greatest time of the year? No, no I don't. I want everyone to be as Jolly as possible. This is my favorite time of the year. But, as I get older I notice the old saying is so true: "Old ones died and new were born." And it's not that we aren't overjoyed to add new members and new traditions to our Holiday season. It's just that it can be really hard to leave the Old in the past. So enjoy the Present.