I fear I will always be bad at these, get things wrong, forget what I want to say—yet I always write them.
I don't know what will be under that tree tomorrow. I don't know what will happen a week from now when we count down to the beginning of 2026. I don't know what the new year will have in store for us.
But I hope, no matter all the pathways by which we diverge, that we may cross paths again in the near future. I hope that this time next year, I'll be spending Christmas with the people I love, both new and old, those who I've known for years and those I'll have only just met. Most of all, I want to feel loved by those I'm with, and for them to feel loved all the same.
This season, at its core, is for all of us to be reminded of the love we all carry throughout the year. We love and are loved by all the people we see, and the gifts we give and receive are just bonuses. They're just extra gestures to show our love for each other, because love is not one single grand gesture at the end of a long year. Love is every message we send. Love is every laugh we share. Love is every touch that we wish can last just a bit longer. Love is the very core of Christmas.
So Merry Christmas. Thank you for the love, thank you for the gifts, and thank you for being here. Because that matters more than anything this holiday season.
Merry Christmas, from my home to yours.
- Charleylikescheese
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"Somewhere in my memory, holiday joys all around me,
Living in my memory, all of the music, all of the magic,
All of the family, home here with me"