In all honesty, this year sucks. My family said goodbye to two of our family members. 

My brother left home after graduating a year early to serve his country as a sailor in the U.S. Navy. Two weeks later, we had to put my dog down, and three days after that my dad was put into the ICU at the hospital for a brain bleed.

He is home recovering and doing a lot better. Usually I think of the holidays as a good time, a time to celebrate with family, spend way too much money on the people we love, and make too many cinnamon rolls. 

This year, however, it’s all different. With my brother away and my grandparents staying in California because of the pandemic, it will only be me and my parents at home for Christmas. We have decided to focus on the good that has happened this year rather than the bad. In hopes of doing so, we have decided to switch things up. 

We are going to do something new so that the old traditions don’t remind us of the people we are missing. We haven’t figured out what exactly we are doing, but it will be great. I know I will still get the love, warmth, presents, and food that the holiday brings. Everything is different this year, but maybe different doesn’t have to be bad — it’s just different. 

I just have to remember what Christmas is about.