I'm just like most every other person on this campus'I love Christmas. No other time of year can bring people together and bring smiles to the faces of so many. As much as I say I don't like the music during the course of a year, I must admit, there is nothing quite like it once December rolls around. Even going to a mall a few days before the 25th can bring a smile to my face. Some of the best memories of my childhood come from Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house and Christmas Day in my own living room at 6:30 in the morning. There really isn't anything quite like that.

As I have grown older though, my reasons for enjoying Christmas so much have grown and changed with me. The holiday season is no longer about getting presents, but much more about the time I am able to spend with my family and helping to put a smile onto the face of others. It is a great feeling to see my little cousins excited on Christmas morning, and I love that I have the opportunity to be a part of that.

I feel that as we all grow in age, we will be able to appreciate and cherish the time we spend with our families more and more, while seeing that the material part of Christmas is not what makes it so special. Being college students, we don't have the opportunity to see our families that often, especially those that make their homes somewhere a great distance from Dayton. That is why we need to appreciate winter break so much and be sure to value the short two and a half weeks we have with our non-UD families around us.

Another thing, and the point I have been building up to this entire time, is that while we sit around with family and friends in the coming weeks, everyone needs to remember those that are much less fortunate. The Christmas season is about giving, and it is our responsibility to give and help out those that don't have the same opportunities that we do. Christmas on Campus is a great start to this, but there is obviously much more that can and should be done. This can be as simple as throwing money into a Salvation Army pot, buying a present for a needy child in a secret Santa program, or working at a soup kitchen for a day. People all over the world would kill to have opportunities like we do and it is our job to help make their lives a little more pleasant.

So, as we go to the mall to buy presents for loved ones and sit around tables with our family and friends, don't forget about those who aren't as lucky. It doesn't take much of your time to brighten up the holidays for those who are unable to do it for themselves or their children.