The Gift of Love

It's Christmas Eve!  I know a lot of you are busy with last minute shopping, cleaning, cooking, and gift-wrapping.  I love this time of year, though I haven't always been able to say that.  I come from an untraditional family, and holidays were never really a big deal.  Being raised by my grandmother, who was on a fixed income, there really wasn't much she could afford to do for me, so Christmas was often just another day to me. But, more than any gift my sweet granny could have afforded to give me, the one thing I longed for most was that feeling of family love and togetherness.

I remember 11 years ago when I met my husband, and we spent our first holiday together as a couple.  It just so happened to be Christmas.  He took me over to his parent's home, where he and all of his siblings grew up, and the house was filled with family members, loads of food, and Christmas decor.  It was filled with laughter, love, and togetherness. I remember thinking, "These people are weird. Who does this?"  And every holiday that followed was the exact same way.

I wasn't accustomed to family togetherness, and it was foreign to me to see families actually operating in traditions.  It took me a very long time to adjust to the fact that his family was so close, and made it a point to keep their tradition of family togetherness flowing; and not only on holidays, but all throughout the year.

Having my own family now, consisting of my husband Jeremy, and our sons Joseph and Jaxon, I find that I have developed a new love and meaning for family togetherness.  Whether spending holidays with my husband's family, or doing our own intimate thing with just the four of us, we have vowed to give our children holiday memories that they can cherish forever.  I don't want my sons to ever feel the way I felt as a child.  I want them to know and value the importance of family, and experience love and togetherness every single day of their lives.

As we all prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us all embrace the true meaning of family unity.  It's not about the gifts under the tree, but the love that should freely flow from heart to heart.

From my family to yours, I pray that this holiday season will be one filled with the love and togetherness of family.  You may not get that perfect gift, and you may not have been able to buy gifts for those special people in your life, but know that no material gift can replace the gift that Jesus teaches us to give - unconditional love.  This Christmas, give the gift of love.  It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Merry Christmas!

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha