Christmas is a time,
Christmas is a season,
Christmas is like a tide
that slowly rises, overwhelms,
and then recedes in the wake
of a new year descending...
Christmas is different every year
for everyone who celebrates it.

Christmas can be a different experience
depending on how old someone is -
when we are young Christmas is
a series of magical moments,
including: meeting someone dressed
in a red suit with a white beard,
making a list of things that we want,
and receiving presents of all shapes and sizes;
but, as we get older, as life goes on,
and as we lose people who have
always been special to us,
Christmas can be a time of reflection,
sadness, regret, and longing for what was
and missing those who we have lost.

Christmas can be a wonderful crossroads
of feelings and emotions, of family,
of friends, of making the most
of what you have, of accepting what are you gifted,
and of capturing the spirit of celebration
that fills every street and the rooms
of every house all around the world...
Christmas is when love can be shown
and shared...
Christmas is when people have to think
about others and truly show that they care...
Christmas is about the build up
to December the 25th -
more so, perhaps, that the day itself...
Christmas is sometimes more about
following long established traditions -
whether they are religious in nature,
consumeristic, or of keeping alive
the memory of people who to us
will live on in our mind and in our heart
and whose photos will remain
long after we take down the festive
cards we have received from their shelves.

This Christmas, like every Christmas,
we all hope for the best
and wish to be blessed...
this Christmas, like every Christmas,
we all sometimes want
what we can't have...
this Christmas, like every Christmas,
people listen to Christmas songs,
people watch Christmas movies,
and people don Christmas themed attire
that they may have been waiting all year to wear every time they have got dressed...
every Christmas it is important
to make yourself happy,
as well as make other people happy,
because without thinking outloud
and without expressing yourself
then it wouldn't truly be Christmas -
so give yourself a present,
celebrate how you want,
and perhaps reach out a hand
to others and give them
the gift of you this Christmas.