2016 is finally coming to an end, and oh boy has it been a wild ride! Full of good times and bad for everyone in the world, unfortunately with more bad than good, it can be difficult to be happy, especially during this time a year.

For me personally, it took a long time for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Last week when I realized Christmas was only a few days away, I honestly panicked a bit. I usually try and buy my presents months in advance so that I wouldn’t have to worry about last minute shopping in the snow and ice, however the only present I had gotten months ago was a necklace I ordered for my mom’s birthday. By the time Christmas was a week away I had only found something for my sister on Black Friday and half of something for my mom.

I honestly was very concerned (concerned meaning I was stressing hardcore). When I was running around like a maniac looking for presents like so many others out there in the snow and rain, the last thing on my mind was the Christmas Spirit. The only thing I was worried about was finding stuff for my family that they would like within my very small budget, which of course meant buying pricey stuff with as much money as I could spare!

It wasn’t until about four days before Christmas Eve that I realized what kind of mindset I was in. I was talking to my parents when my dad lamented that he had not gotten anything for mom for Christmas. Without thinking I told him that having him here in the flesh for Christmas would be gift enough not only for her but for all of us. Mom agreed with me, but what I had said struck me. I was so busy worrying about having enough money to buy things for the ones I love that I didn’t realize what I already had. My dad was home, in the flesh, for not only Thanksgiving but also Christmas. Yes, that meant we had almost no money coming in, but dad is HERE, for the first time in YEARS! I was there; yes living in a *cough*cursed*cough* leaky 5th wheel trailer, but I was with my family. ALL of my dearest, closest friends were here with me, allowing us to spend our own little ‘squadmas’ party and exchange gifts with each other before going to our own families.

Honestly, I was disappointed with myself. I was worrying over the material things when I should have been so grateful for what I already had. I felt like I was in a cheesy Christmas movie, learning about the true meaning of Christmas after going through so many things I thought were major when they really weren’t.

I guess what I’m trying to say is I finally remembered what the most important things in life are. I’m a little mad at myself for having to relearn this lesson in the first place, but after all that has happened in this past year we need to try and remember what is most important in life: the ones we love. Stuff isn’t what makes us the most happy, it’s being able to be home and surrounded by family and friends. In the darkest times of our lives, the only constant we can rely on are those who truly, honestly care about us.

2017 is going to be a new start for me. I have two resolutions that I plan on working on: first take better care of my body so that I can be healthy, and second stress less over my funds and concentrate more on keeping my connections with others strong.

What are your resolutions? What did you learn this Christmas/year? I would love to hear from you, either in the comments here or in my Facebook post.

I hope you all had a pleasant holiday season, and good luck on the new year. I believe in you!