The holidays can be a very fun and exciting time for everyone, but it also comes up as a time of anxiety for some. From finding the perfect gift for all of your friends and family to the weather changes to the change in time, making it way darker at such an early time in the day.
Whatever the case may be, there are always ways to enjoy the holidays while getting through these things. I always look for the positives in the holiday season, but this year, I am feeling a little down.
When I was ten, I lost my best friend, my grandfather. He was always the person who made the holidays fun for me. We would sit on his chair, and sing all of the Christmas songs, make dinner together, and then enjoy a nice cup of coffee (for him) and cookies at the end of the night before my parents came to pick me and my brother up.
Those were always the best days of the holiday season because I just got to spend time with him and my grandmother, before she passed, and learn more and more about our family. I cherished those memories and was transfixed when he would tell me stories about my uncles and aunt as children. I miss it.
However, I am reminded this holiday season, after 12 years of missing him, that he will always be with me in spirit.
Every year since they passed, my dad likes to put on our old holiday videos, so that we are reminded of all the family traditions that we do around the holiday season. We watch the videos and laugh about all the funny things that my grandpa used to do during these times, like make me put on a Christmas show and sing all of the songs from school or the pranks that he played on all of us. It’s great.
I guess the point of this story is that I want to remind everyone to enjoy the time with their loved ones, so that they have those memories, like I do, to get me through the sad part of the holiday season. Cherish it, for you never know how much longer you have with them.
Without those videos and the memories that I made with all of my passed loved ones, I wouldn’t be reminded of the fun times that come with the holiday season. It’s a time to spend with all of your loved ones, as well as a time to give back.
My challenge to you this holiday season: put down the phone, and really give back. Spend time with your family, your friends, and really be there. Of course, take those videos, so you can remember these times, but also immerse yourself in that time, because it is time you will never forget, or get back.