My Meaning of the Holidays

Haven't posted in a few days, been trying to deal with some issues of a personal nature. I'm back though and going to start this week of with a Christmas themed post.

The holidays can mean so many different things, some look on the Christmas holiday as purely a religious celebration, others look on it as one huge party extravaganza,  I'm not one to judge anyone but I'll share what the holidays mean to me:

The holiday season, right now in reference to Christmas is a time for me to reflect back upon the year and remember all the things that have happened, both good and bad.  It's a time to be more conscious of my surroundings and of those who are less fortunate than me and to take those extra steps to help those in need.  I try a little harder to make time to be with my family, slow down a little bit and enjoy the smaller things in life that I may not normally take time to do, laugh a little more, smile a little more and enjoy what my life is at this present moment.  Nothing is perfect, this is true but I can enjoy the good things even more and try to look at the things that aren't so good and take a mental inventory of them, decide which ones are worth trying to fix and which ones need to be turned loose, and I have a good mix of both.  I have been blessed with some amazing new friends this past year and with the exception of just a few, I truly hope I will be able to continue to call them my friends in the upcoming years and that I will be able to see them as often as possible. 
With the good comes the bad, it's the balance of life, and unfortunately this year I have met some people who have entered my life but who must go because I've decided that for whatever reason they do more harm than good and I really need to simplify and get rid of the poison in my life, an ongoing process but something I'm working on. 
The holidays are an amazing time, a chance for us to find our inner child so to speak, or create one if necessary, it's a time to fantasize a little, dream a little and enjoy the good parts of life. I would suggest to everyone that they set a "holiday mission" to do something this holiday season they've never done, make it fun, do it yourself or include your family and if it works for you incorporate it as part of your holiday traditions.