Being home for the holidays is the best way to spend Christmas. Celebrating this beautiful time of year at home, with family, and joining together with loved ones is the time I personally look forward too. But being home for the holidays doesn't always have the same meaning as what it sounds.

Being home for the holidays, for some, means being literally home. Being in their own house with immediate family and/or extended family. Not traveling anywhere further than the comforts of their own house. For others, it means traveling far and wide. Going to a different country or to another state to visit family and friends. It can also be traveling close to home to a family's home. But home doesn't always mean a house.

For me, being home for holidays means being with family. Home for me is not a place, but people. My family travels to New York every year for Christmas Eve to spend the night at my Aunt and Uncles house. My entire family is there, aunts, uncles and cousins.

This day is truly my most favorite day of the whole year. I consider New York my home but my family is more of a home than any place will ever be. The feeling of spending time with loved ones and seeing family you don't see much through the year is the warmest feeling. I look around at my older cousins who have gotten married and now have their own families growing. I look at my aunts and uncles and see the pride and happiness they have that they have built such a strong family foundation. I look at my little cousins who are glowing with Christmas joy as they are waiting for Santa and are full of spirit and smiles. On this day I can not help but smile and look around and think of how lucky I am and how happy I am to be there. I thank God every day but especially every Christmas Eve that I was so blessed to have the family that I have. For one day I lose all worry about any problems and do not look at the past or the future, but just focus and live in the present. I am always the happiest and most content when I am with them on this day.

Home does not have to be a place, sometimes it just has to be a person or people. For me, my home has been, and always will be my family. If you can call a person or people home, then you are so very lucky. The holidays are a time for family and friends, so this holiday season, give your loved ones a tighter hug, and tell them how much you love them. Stop for a moment at whatever celebrations you may be attending and just take it all in and appreciate what is occurring around you. After all, we have so much to be grateful for in life. Life is truly a beautiful thing.