Christmas is what you make it...

I see the homes dressed in lights, the peppy red Starbucks cup that sits across from me and even the occasional horrid Christmas sweater wrapped around my English teacher. I see all the things I've seen every other year, however, I know that this upcoming Christmas holiday will be unlike all the others before it. I know there will not be thousands or even hundreds of dollars spent on my siblings and I like there normally is. I know my parents are trying their very best to do all they can to make this a decent Christmas for our family. I know all this, and to my surprise, I'm actually pleased with the way things are. For the first time I have the oppertunity to experience what it is like to not have the world given to me when I awake on the morning of December 25th. I have the chance to be truely grateful for the safe haven I come home to each day, or the pantry in my kitchen that is constantly stocked full with food. I am aware that many families around the world will be having a different kind of Christmas this year, but still, I hope that the joy is not lost and the love within your home can be found and embraced.