Holiday Cheer

For so many people {myself included} the holidays are a time when I struggle to be happy. 

Happiness is something that comes in so many forms- 

and really is a skill. 

Recently I heard someone say- "I hate Christmas. Everyone is so grumpy, focused on money, and it is always so disappointing."

It was one of those times when my heart ached. Ached because I too have been guilty of that in the past. I can recall a few Christmases that were sad, disappointing, and overall lame. 

And when I heard someone else say what I too had thought- it all hit me. 

There was nobody but myself that made Christmas that way. 

Christmas is a time for families to gather together. For quality time to be spent, for memories to be made. For parties and treats. For giving and getting presents. For everyone's hearts and minds to be focusing on the Savior. On His birth. On His life. On our relationship with Him. How in the world can that be sad? 

This year I decided that I would make Christmas a happy time. I began by decorating our house- to look and feel festive- to help remind myself of the season. 

We read scriptures every night about the life of Jesus Christ. We talked about His life, and how we could become more like Him. We made treats and delivered them to our friends. We went and drove through the neighborhoods and ooed and ahhhed as we saw all the lights. We looked for meaningful ways to serve other people and collected them on our service tree. We talked and taught Parker about the Savior. I bore my testimony of the Savior to him.

I haven't always had the best Christmases. I have been sort of a scrooge in the past.

But when I focus more on Christ and less on gifts- Christmas really is my favorite holiday. I love spending time with my family. Even when it's just the three of us- I really love spending time and making memories with my little family- it's even better when we can spend time with even more family.

I have decided what my goals are for next year and I'm so exited to share them with you. Have you started to think about your goals for next year?