Please forgive me because I do know how incredibly negative this is going to sound, but I feel like the real meaning of Christmas has been lost for a very long time. It seems that in 2019 Christmas has become nothing more than another reason to shop, making this holiday that is supposed to have a deeper meaning, all about consumerism.
To me, the meaning of Christmas is a time to share love, respect, and encouragement with
one another and not degrade others. I strongly believe that instead of tearing others down, we should focus on building them up. It is so important to help family, friends and even acquaintances see the strength they have within themselves.
This is a time we can spend with our families, but at the same time not put too much stress on ourselves. The only thing 
stress is going to cause is hostility and negative emotions, which can become way too intense and painful. As much as we all want to be able to visit with our family during the holiday season, sometimes life gets in the way making it impossible. No matter the distance between families love is always there and it is never-ending!
To be completely honest with y’all, I have not been in the Christmas spirit at all this year. I am not even 100% sure why I have been slightly anti-Christmas this year. I guess it might be because there are always too many expectations that are not only exhausting but unattainable. I am sure many people will disagree with me and want to torture themselves by trying to be in two or three places at the same time.
I remember a time that Christmas was astounding and purely magical. I did grow up in the north where there was ALWAYS sparkling snow covering the ground at Christmas. Heck, there was snow covering the ground on Thanksgiving. A blanket of snow set a picture-perfect vision that allowed kids to go build snowmen
, create snow
angels, and have snowball fights!
Do you remember what Christmas was like when you were a child? I remember on Christmas Eve being able to open one of my gifts, which were always new Christmas pajamas to wake up in on Christmas day . I remember putting Christmas cookies and milk out for Santa and putting a few carrots outside for Santa’ reindeer! I can even recall lying in my bed waiting to hear Santa’s sleigh bells ring, so I could run to the window to see Santa, Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donder, Comet, Cupid, and Blitzen! Viewing life through the innocent eyes of a child can be refreshing and a beautiful thing.
I do sincerely hope the true meaning of Christmas will surface before next December. 
Maybe by December 2020, more can learn to quit carrying hate in their hearts and let more love through those cast-iron walls. I think the world could be a much happier place if everyone would embrace love!
On Christmas, if you were offered any three gifts of your choice and would forfeit any gifts from the future, what would they be? Keep in mind the skies the limit and any wish you make come true. I have listed what my wishes 
would be in no particular order.
- I wish there would finally be cures for all the illnesses that cause people so many problems.
- I wish all the hate in this world cease to exist and make room for love, kindness, and empathy.
- I wish no child went without love
and always had food on the table.
Thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and you are feeling well. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love , comfort, and many positive vibes.
Always, Alyssa
Unfortunately, I do have to work the weekend so I can’t say I will be able to catch up, but I will still try.
enough and it was painful to return to work. The insane thing is we didn’t get home until the early morning hours and I had to work that day. I was so exhausted; nothing bothered me at all because my mind was still at the beach and maybe I was half asleep still. Of course things not bothering me only lasted half a day and I will tell you more about this later. My boss is still the same idiot he has always been!
Considering we were at the beach during the off season it wasn’t overly crowded, which was great! Thankfully my husband did not tell the waitress it was my birthday, so I didn’t have to deal with the wait staff singing happy birthday to me and embarrassing me. I do not like to be center of attention and would prefer to go unnoticed! 
I don’t know about you, but before last week there were times I was awake at sunrise, but never actually watched the sunrise. Standing out on the beach in the early morning hours watching the sun come up was a beautiful sight and pretty powerful! It really is amazing to watch as the sun slowly makes its way up to shine light on us all around the world! To think the sun I watched come up will also be seen on the other side of the world at some point. 
the horizons and it is quite magical, especially near the ocean! Of course I do think everything is magical and hypnotizing when I am at the beach!
have sign indicating which road is the correct way to go. However, I think we all know the difference between right and wrong, but we are all human-beings that make mistakes and may not choose the wrong road the first time around.
several times, but the lessons learned from this will stick with us.
.
I remember, when I was first diagnosed with MS at the young age of 19, I wondered what I did so wrong to deserve this as my punishment. Although as I have gotten older, I do not view living with MS as a punishment, but I see it as a way to prove my strength and determination to survive! I also view living with MS as a way to help others realize that life does go on, but some adjustments may need to be made. I strive to show others living with a chronic illness and even those not battling an illness, that there is still hope and how remaining positive will be a benefit!
little and of course the time off from work is pretty fabulous! My office is actually closed the entire week of Christmas and doesn’t reopen until January 2, 2019! I have never experienced such generous time off from an employer for the holidays before and I must say I absolutely 
that still feel very fresh years later for myself and my family. It has been nine years since my husband’s dearly loved 
we will always stand true to honor their memories of 
we should all also still remember to rejoice with the family we are still able to spend these days with. The funny thing is, we do not get to choose our family because they are just given to us and we must learn to accept them with their amazing qualities and even their flaws. I mean seriously, no one is perfect and we all have our own faults that may drive other crazy, so we really can’t judge another for similar situations!
grounds. I know I have said this before regarding other issues, but we are all different and have our own uniqueness to us. I guess I believe that all of our unique behaviors and outlooks are what makes us special and like no other!
they might not have and buying products just because they are a hot commodity. I feel that Christmas should be more about family and less about buying gifts! There are no gifts that can take the place of our loved ones. There are way too many people who struggle just to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads, while others rush the stores. In my job now I hear really sad stories that break my heart. Just yesterday we were working with a single mother that was going to be homeless today. Myself and two of my co-workers, one of which being my boss, were trying to find a place that could offer her a roof over their heads and shockingly most were already full and might not be able to help until mid January. I was so sad for her and her 6-year-old child to suffer like this so close to Christmas. Thankfully, we did find an extended stay for them to go to, but I was still shaken by this. This poor little girl will wake up Christmas morning not expecting gifts under the tree, but wanting a bed to sleep in and food to eat.
encouragement he shared with me through the years. In the times I am in a terrible amount of pain or feel a massive amount of stress, I hear his voice in my mind with all of his healing powers.
guess that is what makes him so special. You know that being diagnosed with a chronic illness is tragic and life altering, but losing him was twice as hard on me. I know it has almost been 5 years, but it feels like yesterday when I got the call from my Uncle to tell me Poppy had passed away. I honestly felt as though my world came to a complete halt! If I had just one wish, which I know most people would think I would wish the MS away, but I would wish I could have just one more day with my Poppy. I would rather live with the struggles of Multiple Sclerosis for the rest of my life, if I could just have him here with us again. I would love to be in the car with him listening to him sing “Seven Spanish Angels” by Willie Nelson & Ray 
