joyful, joyful.

have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. from now on, our troubles will be out of sight... through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow... have yourself a merry little Christmas now <3>

they say, its the most wonderful time of the year. in retrospect, i would agree. everyone comes home for the holidays... chances to see friends and family members you have lost touch with over past months, chances to reconnect and spread a little bit of love. everyone gets into the Christmas spirit, or at least - almost everyone. Christmas carols play on the radio. holiday specials at every store. unique Christmas coffee flavors. its the time of the year where snow is embraced with open arms, just in hopes of having a white Christmas. in the spirit of Christmas, you find that you give a little more of yourself. you're more open to people. you go out of your way to make everything as good as possible. you take risks. you spend a little extra. all in hopes of making it the best Christmas ever. sometimes, you expect little - only concerned about giving all that you can. and in those times, often, that is when you receive the most. in light of expecting nothing, i think that often God blesses us when we least expect it. we set ourselves up with little promise, and He surprises us with His blessings in different ways... in an unexpected gift. a phone call. extra hours at work. coffee with an old friend. a beautiful day. and in reflection of all the things God gives us, the most amazing gift He has ever given us is Jesus. after all, that is the true meaning of Christmas. so often we forget why Christmas is such an exciting time, why we give gifts, why we get together with family. we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we forget to slow down and remember why we're celebrating in the first place.

in the past few years, Christmas has changed a lot for me and my family. when my aunt passed away, suddenly things got a lot harder... it became more of a challenge to remain joyful during the holidays. i've noticed it this year for some reason - my brother has been anti-Christmas music, or anything that really has to do with Christmas. my family as a whole has lost a lot of interest in going to church on Christmas eve. i think its just a reminder that we're not complete. in lieu of the holiday season, we're missing a vital part of our family. and every service, they sing silent night. and you would think it would get easier to hear, but for me, its not. i hear my aunts favorite song, and tears still come to the surface. and every Christmas, i make cut-out cookies, because its what karen and i always did together, for as long as i can remember. its hard to do it, honestly. but i feel like i have to, in memory of her. because Christmas is a time to remember. a time to cherish. a time to be joyful, and grateful for all the blessings God has given us. to remember that we get to see our loved ones again someday because He gave us the ultimate gift of Jesus... to be born, to live, and to die... for us. that is the beauty of Christmas everyone, try to remember it. let your heart be light. count your blessings. thank God. delight in family. be kind to a stranger. go out of your way to impact someone's life, just like Jesus impacts ours, each and every day. because really, Jesus is the reason for every season, for every day, for everything.