Growing up the holidays were always something I looked forward to. Don't get me wrong, they still are, but over the years things have changed A LOT.

As a child, receiving presents Christmas was something I always got excited for. But as I grew older, I learned to appreciate Christmas for the time spent with my family. It was always beautiful for me to see my family gather together, whether they were the family members I saw all the time or the ones I saw here and there.

Same goes for New Year's. Every year we threw a party. Whether it was at my aunt's house or my house, we got the party started. The atmosphere was great, vibes were high and we started off the new year just right.

Even though my Christmas consists of a lunch now rather than a dinner (because both my parents work night jobs), and my New Year's will most likely consist of me being with my best friend, Its the effort that still counts.

Yeah, we don't celebrate with the amount of family that we used to, nor the way we used to. We do more "fast-paced" get-to-the-point celebrations. But that's just the way it has to be. Now, this isn't me complaining, because obviously things change as the years go by, but one thing never changes: the feeling of family being together.

That is something I will always cherish.