As long as there's Christmas

"As long as there's Christmas, I truly believe
That hope is the greatest of the gifts we'll receive

So there always will be a time.
When the world is filled with peace and love."

I've always loved this bit of music. I love Beauty and the Beast, but Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas always warmed my heart more than the original did though. It might have something to do with the fact that Bernadette Peters is voicing the angel, and I've adored her forever. But I think it's this song, (and the other one "Stories") that have always touched my heart more than "Something There" or "Beauty and the Beast" ever did.

But these words basically sum up Christmas. Not just Christmas even, but the holiday season. A lot of religions have religious holidays during this time of year. It probably has something to do with the fact you get the longest night of the year and then it seems God returns the sun to us like a gift. That's pure speculation though, I have no actual idea. But there is something about this time of year. That isn't the presents, or the mistletoe, or anything to do with those traditions. Something about this time of year says, maybe the world can be better, maybe we have a chance at peace after all.

Christmas has always been a non-denominational holiday for me. My family isn't religious to say the least, so Christmas has never been very spiritual. I've found another way to be spiritual over the holiday season, by celebrating Chanukah. I like celebrating holidays as it makes me feel closer to people from around the world, which I think is kind of the point. I celebrate this, and so do so many others, it gives us something in common, and suddenly we are a little less of strangers.

In the end, that is what the holiday season means to me. It's a chance to be less of a stranger. It's a chance to be a little more human.

Sure, it's going to be stressful, all those presents and Christmas shopping, and kids get more materialistic every year it seems, people can't handle the pressure and get mad at others. But I hope that everyone around the world is able, even if it's just for a minute, get a moment where they realize that the person over there that they don't know, is a little less of a stranger. Open your hearts and let in the joy.