Last night I drove over to Amber’s apartment. It was just starting to snow and when I got there I want to retrieve my backpack out of the back seat. I opened the door but apparently not as far as I thought because as I leaned in to grab my bag I slammed my head on the top edge of the door. At first I thought it just hurt, but as I walked to the door of her apartment I realized I might be bleeding. As I stepped inside I pulled my hand away from my face and saw red on my fingers. Oops. By the time I got to a mirror there was blood running down left side of my face. I’d managed to make contact right on the ridge of my eye socket. After a few minutes of bleeding and several Kleenexes, Amber was able to help clean me up and things aren’t so bad. For the most part the cut is hidden in my eyebrow, but if you know it’s there it isn’t hard to spot. My head hurts a little bit today, but mostly just from pressure or contact in that area. I blame the snow and how dark it was last night. Which brings me to my next topic.

As much as I love to complain about how commercialized the holiday season has become (example: Christmas stuff in Walmart the day after Halloween), I really do love this time of year. It’s been snowing all night here and it will probably continue through most of the day. As annoying as it can be to travel in, I love how peaceful it makes the world seem. One of the best feelings ever is walking outside in the morning after a decent snowfall. Everything is so quiet and muffled, but the world is incredibly bright. More so than the weather, though, I love the spirit of the holidays.

I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have this time of year to spend with family. Every year we go get a live Christmas tree at Prairie Pines. We’ve been going since I was just a baby, and my parents were probably going before that. There was only one year that we didn’t go to PP and I actually remember exactly where we got our tree that year. And another thing…we’ve never had a fake tree. Something about that just doesn’t sit right with me.

In the next few weeks people will be putting up lights all over the place (if they haven’t already). A sort of informal tradition for us is to drive around and look at lights a day or two before Christmas. We usually put some up on our house too. I love driving through neighborhoods with the big houses (and small) that go all out. I’m a big fan of plain white lights or colored lights done tastefully. Sometimes it’s hard to find the balance between looking nice and being gaudy.

There’s another reason I love the holiday season. Except for the last minute rush of the semester and finals week, it is relaxing. I’ve been going nonstop all semester and my weekend breaks with Amber–while wonderful(thank you so much!)–just aren’t the same as a true break like you get between semesters.

I think the thing I like the most about this time of year is that it is one of the only seasons where people really unite. Where so many other things fail to bring people together, we can finally set aside our differences and enjoy the better things in life. It’s about family, friends, and fun. Everybody needs more fun in their lives.

Edit: Did I mention how hard it was for me to get out of bed this morning? With it still so dark, cold, and snowy outside I wanted to stay there all day.

Currently Playing: Ryan Cabrera – True

I’ve waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that’s true
So I will not hide
It’s time to try anything to be with you
All my life I’ve waited
This is true