Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to start thinking about the holiday season! I am excited for this year to bring some joy into our lives despite this rough time we are in.

My favorite part of the season is the Christmas lights people put up outside; I love driving around and looking at them. There are a couple of houses around me that go all out, and we love driving by multiple times. My family puts our decorations up early. In fact, my mom asked my dad to put up the Christmas decorations the other day — might be just a little too early, but I won’t complain.

If you are reading this and thinking, “Wow, she’s skipping right over Thanksgiving with all this Christmas talk,” don’t worry; I’m not. This past weekend, my family did a pre-Thanksgiving dinner because my aunt is a traveling nurse and will be working in Florida over Thanksgiving, unable to come home. I’m happy we did this so the whole family could be together, and I don’t know if I will be able to eat on Thanksgiving because I’m getting my tonsils out the Monday prior, so it’s nice I will still be able to have a taste.

I also can’t wait to start watching Christmas movies, including the ones on Hallmark Channel, even though they all end the same way and have basically the same plot. They still bring us joy!

Even though this holiday season might look and feel different, I am excited to spend time with family and enjoy the holidays.

— Mary Melnick, social media and editorial coordinator