The holiday season is approaching faster than you think. It's a happy time for many people. The weather is getting colder. You get to put decorations up. You get to spend more time with your family and friends. Classes are beginning to wind down. There is lots of cooking, shopping, and other preparations.

While I love doing most of these things, I have a hard time finding joy in the holiday season. I get way too overwhelmed by the end of classes and the impending finals season that comes with them. I'm not really a fan of the colder weather, and I'm one of those people who gets sore joints as the daily high continues to drop.

I get stressed out with shopping and trying to make sure I get a good and thoughtful gift for everyone on that year's shopping list. I struggle to be present with my friends and family as I juggle what seems to be a never-ending to-do list until Christmas Day.

This also around the time where I began to have a falling out with one of my best friends a few years ago, so even though I am "over what happened," the experience is still very present at the front of my mind during this time of the year because it had such a profound impact on my life.

The thing that makes the holiday season the hardest for me is that I don't have my mom and grandpa around to celebrate with anymore.

It's been about four and a half to five years since they both died, but the holidays are difficult without them. My holiday traditions used to heavily involve both of them, as they were both huge parts of my life, and now the holidays are almost a constant reminder of what was.

I know that everyone says to think about the happy times with your loved ones and to be thankful that you had them in your life for the time that you did, and I do, but it doesn't mean that I can't experience sadness as well.

None of this means that I'm a Grinch or Scrooge. Deep down, I really do love the holidays. To put it simply, it's just a hard time.

And I know that I'm not alone in this feeling. There are many people who struggle during the holidays, each with their own set of reasons. What I ask is that you be nice to them. If someone says, "I hate *insert whatever holiday here*" without much of an explanation, they more than likely just having a hard time.

And those who are having a hard time, know that you are seen and heard. Keep trying.