1. Family and friends
Christmas is a time to remind your loved ones why you love them, whether you show them with a present or just spending time with them. I never realized how special family time is until I went to college. Since I don’t get to see my parents every day anymore, I love when I get to just spend a day with them. Something as simple as helping my mom put ornaments on the tree or watching football with my dad can be exactly what I need. The end of the semester is a crazy time, so I’m super excited to just go home and spend time with family and friends with no actual agenda.
2. Hot cocoa and cozy blankets
I am a hot cocoa junky. I love it so much; especially the white chocolate caramel hot chocolate from Buc-ee’s. I don’t really drink coffee so I love Christmas time because it’s just cold enough for a nice cup of hot cocoa. Thankfully it looks like it will be cold this Christmas in Texas (praise hands) so I’ll have plenty of chances to snuggle up with my cozy blanket, hot cocoa, and a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie on the TV. If that doesn’t put someone in the Christmas mood, I don’t know what will. It’s the simple things that we enjoy and treasure the most.
3. Ringing the bell
My mom has always loved ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, and in recent years it has become kind of like a tradition for the two of us. It is so fun to spend a morning greeting people and seeing how generous the community is. People truly love to give during this time of year and I love being even just a small part of that.
4. Christmas music
I don’t really think I need to explain this one, but let’s just say I LOVE Christmas music. From “All I Want For Christmas is You” to “Christmas Shoes,” it is all one of the best parts of Christmas. Music puts everyone in a certain mood and Christmas music is a must for any successful Christmas season. It just makes people happy, you know? It might be singing about believing in Santa or worshiping the coming of our Savior, either way it brings joy to us all. There is a certain joy that only comes around during the Christmas season, and I love it!!
5. Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is sometimes more exciting for me than Christmas Day! I love going to my church’s Christmas Eve service and remembering the reason we celebrate this day. I love holding candles and singing “Silent Night” and giving thanks to Jesus for coming for US! Christmas Eve is a time when all the gifts and parties are taken care of and we finally just spend time remembering why we truly love Christmas. After the service, my family always goes to my Mimi’s house for tamales and other Mexican food (you can never go wrong with Mexican food). I love spending time with my family on Christmas Eve and getting excited for the next day. I have so many memories of the night before Christmas (not talking about the book, but that’s great too) growing up and I hope to continue to make them as I get older.
All in all Christmas is the best time of year and I love celebrating. I cannot wait to get finals out of the way, so I can be 100% in the Christmas Spirit!
