by Amanda Fisher |

I know many of you would probably expect an editorial around Christmas time to be cheesy, over-done and annoying. Well, I’m here to break down those typical barriers and share with you all a sort of cliché, yet, sweet, story of my own personal experience of the thrill of giving gifts to others rather than receiving gifts. Okay, so it is a bit cheesy, but I think you can live with it.
Christmas with my family is pretty ordinary. We have had the same traditions since I’ve been alive and I wouldn’t have them any other way. On Christmas day, we eat monkey bread, open gifts and watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s not super special, but it’s something I’ve always loved.
A few years ago, our traditions were a bit altered. Ever since my grandfather passed away about seven years ago, we began having a Christmas party thrown in the honor of my grandmother so we can gather together from all over the country and celebrate the holiday and not have her feel alone. Well, this year, our traditions have changed again and definitely for the better by “adopting” a family. Each family in our family gets assigned a family member and we are to buy a gift for each person and pitch in for a gift card to a grocery store so they can have a nice Christmas dinner.
Nothing makes me happier than helping someone else, and especially for a family that doesn’t have hardly anything. We’re happy and healthy and realize no gift could ever replace or compete with that.
This Christmas, help out. Do something to help others have a great Christmas. In the past, my Christmas’s have been amazing. It devastates me that not everyone in the world can say that.