With Christmas just around the corner I am left contemplating friends,

 family and all the traditions that the holidays are filled with. 

For me I have spent the last 10 years living away from family and around the holidays

I always have a hint of sadness mixed with all the excitement of snow and decorating. Each 

year this bit of sadness makes me take some time to reflect on what I feel the Holidays 

are all about. The one thing has always been the same is Family & Love. 

No matter how close or distant you are to the ones you love I feel that it is important to 

pause during all the hustle and bustle of the holidays and appreciate the relationships that 

we have in our life. Gifts are forgotten, decorating fads come and go, but the relationships 

we are given in life are things to nurture and value. In my family we always have certain 

traditions that we do over the holidays. 

For Thanksgiving we always go around the table and give everyone a chance to say a few things

 that they are thankful for. This tradition helps you keep you heart on what is important in life.

 For Christmas my Grandpa always gathers all of us around and before we open any presents he 

opens up the bible and reads the Christmas story and says a prayer of thankfulness. My heart is 

always brought back to gratefulness and the true meaning of Christmas. I think life is all 

about relationships and how we share our love and appreciation for people. I dont always 

do a good job at this, but I do know that something about holidays gives me that extra push to 

reevaluate my relationships and give myself a little mental check to see if I am valuing my  

relationships more than the "things" in life. I hope you all have an amazing Holiday season, 

hopefully with those that you love :)