With the year 2016 coming to an end, as does every year, we all look back on what the year brought for ourselves and the world. Every year brings new happenings, events, good news, and bad news. With that being said, when asking most people, most would say that 2016 has not been a great year. Well I have to say, I cannot disagree. For our nation and personally, 2016 has certainly not been a year to make a scrap book full of memories over.
From my perspective, I have seen and witnessed more bad happen this year than good. With all of the violence that erupted in our country, it was a scary time. We were turning against one another. Then the oh so eventful election came around and that brought months worth of controversy and distraught. Social media was filled with negativity so much so that I did not even want to look at my social media pages for awhile. Thankfully though, the holidays were right around the corner and I have to say, they made a great impact on changing everyone's attitude from what I can see.
It took a little while after the election for things to settle down, but once Thanksgiving hit, I saw people take a turn towards bettering what they posted. It became less about the presidential candidates and the results and more about what they were thankful for and all of the good that had happened to them this year. This is when I first began realizing that this year hadn't been all bad and that other people were realizing that as well.
What really made a difference in what I was seeing though was the Christmas season, also known as the season of giving. I know most people complain that people begin celebrating Christmas too early, but in times like these, I think it was most appropriate for the celebrations to start. Christmas has always been known to make people feel jolly, happy, merry, and bright. When our country was in such a time of despair, the Christmas season was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Over the past several weeks, I have been seeing many happy and positive posts on Facebook. My favorite are the ones where employees of a store come together to buy a present for someone they know cannot afford what they want. Even though it is not all about presents, it is the simple act of kindness and wanting to do good for one another that spreads the positive attitude and want for doing good. Also the videos of people receiving a very meaningful gift is another great thing to see on my newsfeed besides arguing political talk. I am thankful for the Christmas season this year because it brought positivity to the world in more ways than usual this year.
So while 2016 may not have been the best year for most of us, ending the year on a happy and joyful note is the best way to do it. Ending on a positive note can hopefully ring in the New Year on a positive note as well. 2017 certainly has a great deal of improvements it needs to make, but I believe it can be done. I am looking forward to finishing the year on a very happy note and ringing in the New Year with optimism and hope for a better year. With that being said, I hope everyone can do that as well and have a happy holiday!
