What the holidays means to me...

I may be beating the holiday crowd with this thought, as I am sure many will post something similar in the upcoming weeks. But, just like in this instance, I prefer to avoid the holiday crowds all together.

As a kid, growing up in a small town in farm country with my self-employed hard working parents, my two siblings and our menagerie of 4 legged species we didn't want or need for much. We didn't because we lived a simple life. We learned to earn the things we wanted, and to make things on our own that we could. We learned that the important things were free. I wasn't raised in a church,  and we didn't coincidentally find our faith around the 3 or 4 holidays a year, either. We just enjoyed life. At Christmas time, the traditions weren't about buying expensive gifts for everyone we knew, it was about fellowship and gathering around a home cooked meal. Stone me if you'd like, but I was probably 10 before I was taught and understood that Christmas was the birthday of Christ. We kept our beliefs simple, we kept the traditions simple and today I couldn't be more thankful for that.

As I am out around town, hearing people gripe about the costs of their gifts, and the stress of planning parties, about pictures with Santa or the length of their loved one's lists; I can't help but feel alone in the thought that I don't let that meaningless stress take away from what the holidays mean to me.

Christmas to me is watching the cats prance around in the crumbled wrapping paper torn from what few gifts we really put thought into purchasing for each other. It's about waking mom and dad up early for once rather than the other way around. It's all-day-pajamas and cleaning my room while Home Alone plays in the living room, because that's what we would all do on Christmas day. Sometimes, we would switch rooms, and my parents would sit on the couch laughing as we tried to push, pull and drag our own furniture back and forth between them. The Christmas tree, in my family symbolized growth; we would hang our star shaped ornaments made in each year of elementary school, complete with our school portrait. And we would sit and look at how much we'd all changed. The tree to us represents the changing of the season, and the end of the year. It brought life into our home when everything outside was cold and bitter.

And now, that I am grown I have my own house, my own tree and my own traditions. But Christmas to us is still about those simple things. It all boils down to taking part in one thing; fellowship. I know, everyone believes in very different views...but to me, its just simple. Forget the stores and the trips to meet Santa, forget the gift lists and the office parties, forget the Christmas lights on the gables and wreaths on every window.
It's cold outside, warm up with the abounding love of friends and family. Ring in the changing of the year by giving and starting the year off on a joyous and cheerful path by inviting those into your home who you love, and indulging in things that make you happy. It's that simple.

What do the holidays mean to you? Tell us your favorite yearly tradition? We'll pick one lucky entry to receive a special treat!