It has been such a long time since I updated ChristmasLightstheSoul. The end of the semester was, to say the least, hectic, but I feel that it ended well, and my time away from my blog was well spent. I have since come home to Savannah, Georgia, to spend the holiday season with my parents and dog. It is a wonderful time of year.

I am not one to complain about political correctness, but I have been expending the effort to say “Merry Christmas” whenever possible. I really don’t like the phrase “Happy Holidays” because I don’t celebrate anything other than Christmas. I know that other people celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanza, and probably many other things as well, but for me, Christmas isn’t about the nativity or three wise men riding on various animals to bear gifts for Jesus. It’s a wonderful story, but it isn’t the cause for celebration for me. What I enjoy celebrating is the spirit in the air, the warmth of families and friends. I believe anthropologists would call it the “force” of the season. The force is the emotion, the passion, the deep-down understanding of the winter months. It’s the twinkle of the Christmas lights, the intricacies of the icing on freshly baked gingerbread, the smell of mulled apple cider wafting through the air and the sound of laughter coming from the dining room where friends are telling old stories.

Whatever religion you ascribe to, whatever language you speak, whenever you read this, Merry Christmas. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday, surrounded by people you love and food to fill you up with warmth. It is a special time of year, and I wish you the very best in the coming year. Thank you for keeping ChristmasLightstheSoul in mind! It’s an honor and a pleasure to see so many people following along with me through this wonderful journey.