Se Agapo.

My mother, Yiayia, & I!

My Grandma & I!

   I really enjoyed seeing the family on Thanksgiving! I love them all so much! My grandma is leaving for Florida in a few days; I'm really going to miss her, as I won't see her again until March! Unless you truly know her well, you'd never really understand her. I love her attitude towards life. She will never admit to feeling lousy, she always says that she feels as healthy as ever, refusing to accept sickness. I really admire that about her. She is seriously one of the most positive and hilarious people that I know. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. I lover her so much. I can't wait until Easter so I can see her again!
   As we all know, the day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday", has just about everyone heading out to the stores. Just about all of my relatives fall into this "everyone" category. After Thanksgiving dinner, as everyone settles down and starts on desserts, the pens and papers come out. Aunts and cousins walk around with their little notepads asking each child what is on their Christmas list. With five girls in my immediate family alone, things spiral into chaos rather quickly.
   When the time came that I was asked what I wanted for Christmas, I replied, "I want to be happy." No one really knew what I meant by that. So they asked again, "What can we get you? What's on your list? There's got to be something..." I replied again, "I don't need anything, really. I just want a memorable Christmas." For some reason, no one really understood why I didn't want anything for Christmas. This was a little puzzling for me, seeing as Christmas is not about presents at all, it's about celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Though, inevitably, they continued to ask, for they claimed although I didn't need anything, I must want something. Well, of course I do, everyone always wants a little something new in their life. However, this year, I decided that I am not going to ask for anything. Sure, I could tell people I want that new movie, or the adorable sweater on display, but in a month or two from now, what will I remember more? The gifts in dusty corner of my closet, or a totally amazing Christmas with the family?
   Even after I explained this, they continued to bombard me with questions, "What will you do while everyone else is opening presents?" I told them, "I will give all of you the gifts I have prepared, and watch you all smile." (By the way, the gifts I plan on giving are purely from the heart and not materialistic in any way at all. I am really excited). I found it so strange that people were insistent on discovering what I wanted for Christmas. There was so much focus on what to buy, how much to spend, who gets what gift. I looked at the lists of everyone around me, and I'm not saying I didn't ask, and receive, those same gifts, but I realized that all of the expensive presents in the world cannot give me what I really want. I told them, "You cannot give me what I want. It is not something that can be bought, nor anything any of you can wrap in a box; I don't quite know how to explain it to you, but it's probably not going to happen. All that I ask is that you do something that makes you happy. Make this Christmas memorable. I'm going to college in a year, I just want to have a fun time with the family."
   All I want is to be happy. I want a holiday season I can remember. You cannot purchase something like this in a store, you cannot stuff it in an envelope. Christmas is not about gifts. Christmas is about Jesus Christ. This holiday should be celebrated to glorify Him, not to max out credit cards buying pricey electronics that will soon rot in forgotten drawers. People say that good things come in small packages. I say that the best things don't come in packages at all. They come from the heart.
   Happiness, compassion, love. These gifts cannot be bought, but they will bring the most joy.

"Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name"

                                              Psalm 97:11-12