The Day Before

So, tomorrow is December 1.

I like December for quite a few reasons. One is Christmas, and that's a big one. The lights, the trees, the bows, the festivities... I like December because it's cold. I've always liked the cold weather, which is odd because I'm always cold. But, I like that EVERYONE is cold in December, not just me. That wasn't meant to be as mean as it sounded. I meant that it's finally ok for me to say, "I'm cold," and people don't look at me like I'm a freak of nature.

I like hot chocolate. A lot. And that's also more fun to drink when it's cold. Don't forget the marshmallows.

I like getting together with friends and family. I like socializing with everyone, drinking, eating, laughing. It's so much fun, and everyone wants to hang out in December. There aren't a lot of other distractions, like vacations, trips to the beach, etc. Most people aren't doing a whole lot in December.

I've decided to try something this year. Since I can't go home, and since most of my friends are in fellowship and stuck working a lot, I want to make a list. One person for each day in December. And I will email that person on that day and tell them how much they mean to me. I think it'll help me keep up the spirit of Christmas -- the giving and the sacrifice Jesus made, as well as the love Mary and Joseph committed to him.

So, we'll see if I can come up with 31 friends and family to dedicate to each day in December. Feel free to do the same -- even just an email or two to a few people who have been especially helpful, amazingly loyal or just made you smile when things were gloomy. I know for sure they'll appreciate it. You can't give a better gift than to lift someone up like that.

I'll let you know how my experiment works out. I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of out of this exercise as well.