Today marks four days since December arrived, the best month of the year. Not only because it's my birthday, but also because it's the time of year when people are more inclined to get together, express their feelings, and give thanks to the universe. It's true that people shouldn't wait for a particular date to show affection or appreciate what they have, but the spirit that springs up in people when the holidays arrive is welcome.

For a long time, my family has had a tradition of having a family dinner and exchanging gifts with each other on December 24. On that day, we hug each other more tightly, we cry if we need to cry, we toast, and we try to make our hearts beat in unison. But we have also made it a habit to give, whether a little or a lot, to our neighbors in our community, to our friends, and to those who visit our home that day. The gifts don't necessarily have to be expensive. Sometimes it's food or drinks that we make ourselves and that we do with love for them.

Since children are the stars of the show on this night, we buy them toys, clothes, or sweets. Seeing how every year, from early on, children begin to parade through the house with hope and expectation of a gift fills us with emotion because it shows that just as it is a custom for us to give, for them it is a custom to receive gifts from our family every year.

Personally, I try to spread joy and hope in every encounter, and although we can often feel nostalgic, I try to let that light that gives us peace shine outside and inside me. That's why this month I try to meet up with my friends, dedicate a day to them, and remind them how bright they are in my life. I also make it a point to clean out my closet and house, to take things out and donate or give them away. I feel that by getting rid of things, I not only make room for others, but I also intend to close circles, begin a new stage, and give thanks.

And precisely this is the feeling that encourages me these days: gratitude. My gratitude is not only for the people who are there for me every day, in one way or another, but also for the universe, for everything it gives me, but also for everything it takes away. This is a month of taking stock and making promises, of looking back, but also looking forward. Of realizing that creation is within us, that change and transformation depend on us.

All my life I have believed that words have incredible power and that when people come together they generate a higher energy. If this energy that awakens in this month, if the words that are repeated most often were repeated always, if the actions we take were our routine, our future would be good and glorious, and we would be agents of reconciliation and not of discord. If this were to happen, the spirit of Christmas would be eternal.

The images are from my personal gallery and the text was translated with Deepl

Thank you for reading and commenting. Until a future reading, friends