Elaina Redmond

My favorite season is Christmas, mistakes are forgiven. Under the mistletoe, watching the fire glow. Wrapping Christmas presents, drinking Eggnog. Decorating the Christmas tree and the house. Describing all my favorite and bittersweet memories during Christmas, some I miss while others I am thankful I got to experience. Twenty-Five is another favorite number of mine. Which my favorite holiday falls on. It's cool how numbers can mean different things, how some numbers become important to you, while others you wish to forget. Twenty-five is another number that became a memory because it was the day my grandfather was born. It was a day I will never forget. You have a calendar that has a chocolate to start this count down until Christmas. Each day you would run up to the calendar to count how many days were left. You were excited and each day there was something planned. There was never a boring day, It made each day go by faster. Picking out the wrapping paper and matching the bows, you had the perfect gifts picked out for your loved ones. Sipping Eggnog or Wine cutting each piece of paper, then folding it into a perfect professional box. The ones that are eye-dropping, and catch your eye. Your family would ask if you had a professional do it for you, but you did everything yourself. You wanted this holiday to be special and it was! Now you have something forward to look to. My family would sit around the Christmas tree and tell stories. It was one of the best things I loved about Christmas. I miss those moments, I wish we could go back and replay those moments. Those moments where you don't want anything to end, but eventually everything does come to an end. Hanging the lights makes the tree stand out. You spent a long time choosing the set of lights that would light up the tree. Going to several stores and trying to match it with your decorations. You finally made a decision and you are happy with how it turned out. Everything not only has to match but go with the flow. Everything has a purpose and a meaning. A meaning that you bring home and you care deeply about. I loved all the carols my family and I would sing. We would sing our hearts out. This is where my love for music came from. Where learning how to play guitar came from. I love music and I love how it takes you to another place. I love writing songs as well. Another way I can get into the Christmas spirit. With each decoration that was picked, you can't forget about the angels that were chosen. Christmas is a special holiday, it's when Jesus was born. Everything that was planned and how everything was decorated was important. This holiday was important to you and to so many others. You want to start this holiday right and to do that, you have to go down the list you created. I love traveling, I used to travel five hours to see family. Taking I-16 to 441 interstate. I loved being in the car listening to Christmas music. The trip never felt that long, because we would tell stories and listen to music. A trip worth spending when that's all you have. I miss traveling to see my family. After my grandparents passed away, all of us would meet up in different places now. One of my favorite songs by Matt Redman, 10,000 Reasons. This is one of the songs my family would play. Listening to this song now, brings tears to my eyes, the good kind. I love this song so much, that I made a tradition of playing this song every Christmas. A tradition that will be passed on as well.