Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is acceptable to go Christmas-crazy. Even though I have been doing that since the day after Halloween...But at least it's acceptable now. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. It lost its luster for me for a few years, but it's coming back. My Christmas is usually pretty basic for a girl my age — makeup, perfume, clothes, money doesn't hurt.

But this year is a bit different.

With so much going on in this world today, it's hard for me to focus on wanting my makeup, perfume, or clothes.

The things I want for Christmas cannot be wrapped up and presented to me in the nicest ways possible.

1. My family and friends who have passed to be proud of me.

In my life, I have lost many people who meant the world to me. When a couple of them died, a piece of me died with them. I want nothing more for them to be proud of me. I am not perfect by any means. I make mistakes, sometimes I swear too much, and I have a bad habit of being impulsive. But, despite all of that, I just hope they are watching me and knowing I am doing the best I can, and I hope they feel a true sense of pride for me.

I like to think they act like my own little pack of cheerleaders.

2. For the world to go in a better direction.

I would never say I am not proud of the country I was blessed to be born in, but lately, I have been feeling some strife toward it. The world, including my country, have not been going in the best of directions. It feels like we are just fueled by hate, racism, terrorism, sexism, and basically every bad "-isms" there are. What I want for Christmas is simply for the world to go in a better direction so I do not have to sit here being 21 and worrying about my great grandchildren when I don't even have a boyfriend. I am not going to sit here and preach that I want "world peace" because that isn't realistic. I want world tolerance and acceptance. You don't have to like it, you don't have to be "best friends" with it, but you have to tolerate and accept it.

3. True happiness for the ones I love.

There isn't a worse feeling in this world than the people who you love being any less than amazingly happy. As I get older and watch my family and friends get older too, I want nothing more than for them to be as happy as possible. Whether it be financial security causing happiness, love-induced happiness, or just plain, all-around joy, I want it for them. I try my best to make everyone happy, but I can't help everyone's needs...So all I want is for them to be so unapologetically happy it hurts.

4. To be healthy

Getting older and working in healthcare reminds me how easy it is (no matter what age) for your life to change in a second when it comes to your health. We are all a heart attack, stroke, car accident, mental breakdown, and a seizure away from our lives changing forever. For Christmas this year, I want to be physically and mentally healthy and free.

5. Bravery

I often call myself a "wimp" but that's not what I want to be. For Christmas, I want to be brave. I want to smile in the face of challenges and hardship and laugh knowing I will overcome them. I want to feel my true strength and bravery instead of sitting and hoping it comes out when needed (even though it typically always does).

For Christmas, I will be brave and courageous when it comes to anything life throws at me.

I want to release my inner lion.