hello december

December is here and I could not be more excited for this Christmas season! I could just feel that Christmasy vibe so strong today. The whole day at work I had "This Christmas" playing in my head and I loved having all my neighbors lights brighten up my run when it started to get dark.
Last year was crazy since my grandmother had passed away a few months before, my brother had just left on his mission and we were still living with my parents. I feel like this is our first real Christmas and I've always loved the thought of starting new traditions with my family. So I thought buying a fresh fir tree on the first on December was a pretty good idea!
While I want to do it all: decorate my whole little house, make gingerbread cookies, buy the best presents, make beautiful holiday paintings, and lots of other fun wintery things, I was reminded of something super important by the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson that I happened to see on Facebook: 
"Overdoing it is especially common this time of the year for many of us. The causes for this might include too many Christmas activities to attend, too much to eat, too much money spent, too many expectations, and too much tension. Often our efforts at Christmastime result in our feeling stressed out, wrung out, and worn out during a time we should feel the simple joys of commemorating the birth of our Savior.
Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season."
I can always count on prophets and apostles to put things into perspective. As I was on my run I remembered that the symbolism of all those pretty lights represent the light of Christ. It is such a beautiful reminder of the gift we were all given; a Savior. Hopefully I will continue to remember that important symbol each time I see my little Christmas tree twinkling with its colorful lights or all those houses I pass by.