It happened upon a midnight clear

Now that it's already the middle of December (crazy, I know!) I've been trying to really enjoy the holidays and not just the stress of it all. I've always been an overly obnoxious holiday person, but since most of my life I've had finals, homework, assignments up until the week before Christmas, I found it hard to take in the beauty of the season and enjoy every minute of it. I think it's important to stay true to the real meaning of Christmas. So...I have been taking time to find meaningful gifts, putting up decorations, watching classic movies, baking cookies, and most importantly: spending time with the ones I love. Once you remember to slow it down, this time of the year is just that much more special.

What do you love about this time of year?