I have been reflecting on what the holidays mean to me recently. It has been really good for me. I grew up in a home where the holidays were viewed as something to stress out over and somehow the day itself got pushed to the background. Holidays were never very big in my house growing up and they became less and less celebrated as the childhood beliefs wore off and the kids got older. I have been reflecting on how this effected my childhood and my adulthood later on. I want to be able to help my children hold on to the magic of the holidays far longer than I was able to. I want the mystery and magical feeling of the true meaning and the Santa Claus version to last as long as possible for both of them. I know that will be hard in the commercial world that we live in, where Christmas starts in October and November. I just hope that I can make them understand it the way I do today. That this time of year is more about giving than receiving. It is about bringing joy to your neighbor and putting a smile on another person’s face. I hope that they will understand the true meaning of the holidays and it won’t take them until they are in their late thirties to realize it.

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