Happy Christmas, Merry New Year

What a year 2005 was both personally and for the rest of the world, I'm not going to sit here and rattle off a bunch of "highlights" from the year past, because this is the week every year that we get bashed in the face with the "best of/worst of" shows on every media outlet. Even the news networks jump on the band wagon with the year in headlines shows. You all know what happened this year and you all should definitely know what happened in your own lives. No reason to add another twenty "O" five review.

I went home for Christmas this year and I am very happy I did. I got to see joy on my children's faces when they saw what Daddy Claus had left them under the tree. I got to see four generations of family interacting and enjoying each others company. I re-connected with members of said family that I haven't talked to in over five years. That, to me, is what Christmas is all about.

As many of you know I have my issues with religion lately and so therefore I didn't go to church on Christmas day, I mean if I'm not going to show up the rest of the year, why show up on one day to make myself feel better. I instead look at Christmas as a time that starts around Thanksgiving and goes through New Years Day that I spend time with family that I don't get to see much and remind my self just how lucky I am that I have the ability to do that. That there are people out there who don't have a family like I do. I don't look at it as something to be politicized like it has been lately. I don't look at it as something that should be commercialized like it has been for so long. I just spend time with those I love and leave it at that.

New Years always brings resolutions and we usually do well for about a week and then throw them by the wayside so I decided to make mine something achievable. I'm going to finish my degree and I'm going to read more books. I'm going to have a new appreciation for mankind's creative side. I'm going to have more confidence in my self. I'm going to take better care of my self. These things are all pretty easy to accomplish and if I don't stick to it I think it's because I didn't really want to in the first place.

Happy Holidays, what ever it is you celebrate, and try to make this year better than the last.