With each season comes great change; the different decorations for each holiday, the cleaning and rearranging, and the different freedoms. Everyone knows that winter is an exciting time because of our beloved holiday- Christmas. Christmas brings new toys and games, new friends, and new recipes. But with all of the new, there is still a strong connection to tradition. We make snowmen, sing carols, and make gingerbread houses. As a minimalist, I love the traditions of Christmas because it brings me a sense of happiness that I don't necessarily feel through opening presents.
Although, year after year, and family after family, this traditional way of Christmas lacks something. I wasn't sure what that something was until I decided to abandon the traditional ways of Christmas and take a jump into an unknown ocean. A Caribbean ocean that is. At the start of Christmas break, my family journeyed 760 miles to The Sunshine State to experience a new type of Christmas. If you haven't guessed by now, we embarked on our "Royal" cruise to explore islands we have yet to visit. If you know me, you know that I find change and traveling to be the two hardest things for me. If this wasn't change then I don't know what is! The one rule about this Christmas though was no presents. I wanted to experience the euphoria of a holiday without the strings of gift giving and receiving.
On Christmas day my family arrived in Haiti for a relaxed day at the beach and spending time together. The odd thing was, I didn't miss the presents. I didn't feel like I was missing out on Christmas or angry that I didn't have presents to unwrap. My present was seeing a whole new world and spending time with my family. Both were presents that didn't require wrapping paper.
While most family's Christmas activities last one day, I was able to experience this holiday for seven days- a gift I'll be forever grateful for. While in the midst of all of this change, I held true to my childhood traditions. My dad and I made gingerbread houses and I was able to watch every sappy Hallmark movie that was playing. Through this crazy change over an even crazier holiday, I was able to let go of the anxiety over Christmas. No waiting in lines at the stores or spending time wrapping gifts. Discovering an adventurous side of me that is getting used to change was all I needed. And it didn't even need a bow on top.