The Thankful Project: November 17th

The Thankful Project: November 17th: The Holidays

Insert <<It's the most wonderful time of the year>> here. Honestly though, there is something special about this time of the year. Maybe it's the nostalgia or maybe it's the excessive amount of sweets but there is something a little different about November and December. I love the holiday season for multiple reasons:

- the food

-the music

-the sense of nostalgia

-the movies on TV

-the family time

-the selflessness of humanity

-the thoughtfulness 

-love is in the air

The holidays were always a special time for my family. I'm sure I have a Norman Rockwell idealized image of what we actually looked like, but it always felt so warm and cozy. We would always go to my grandmothers for a Thanksgiving meal and all the cousins and aunts and uncles would come over to enjoy food and fellowship with one another. 

When I was a teenager my little family moved away (the first rebels to do so) and then we started our own family traditions. It has always been a time where we all come home and spend time with one another, something we don’t always get to do with our busy schedules.

I know people like to complain about the traffic and the sales that seem to be earlier and earlier, the Christmas music that starts playing too soon (for some people at least), the stress and expectations of entertaining- but remember the ‘reason for the season’. Remember to be grateful and thankful for the traffic: that means you have a car to get from one place to the next. Be grateful and thankful for the ridiculous sales because it means you can finish your check list sooner and spend the rest of your time with the ones you love. Be grateful and thankful for that Christmas music that starts playing way too early, it may bring someone joy in a moment of darkness. Be grateful and thankful for the stress of the in-laws coming into town, you have people who want to be with you during a time that is busy!

Looking forward to another wonderful holiday season with the ones I love, both near and far.