Jess and Jacy: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I used to hate Christmas.

As soon as we ate the last of the Thanksgiving turkey, I swear Jacy and my mom would go into full Christmas mode. They decorated the whole house, spent hours wrapping gifts, and belted out Christmas carols at the top of their lungs on the ride to school every morning. It annoyed the hell out of me. MOM WAS A GROWN WOMAN! She shouldn't be singing silly songs like "Frosty the Snowman." I, on the other hand, was much more mature for those shenanigans.

I couldn't even escape the Christmas spirt at school because our music teacher put on a three-hour holiday production every single year. In elementary school, we began Christmas program rehearsals right after Turkey Day. I had zero time to adjust between holidays.

Then, when Christmas Day did roll around, we spent ALL morning opening gifts. ALL MORNING. We'd each open our presents one at a time starting with Jacy because she was the youngest. WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?!

In my book, it was complete overkill. I spent half of my childhood trying to find the perfect pair of earmuffs to block out the Yuletide carols and the other half opening Christmas presents slowly. I was an honest-to-goodness Scrooge McDuck.

Unfortunately, no Ghosts of Christmas Past showed me the true reason for the season when I was younger. Instead, it took a 10-hour move away from my family to realize just how precious the holiday season really is.

So, please, PLEASE, do not be a Grinch this Christmas. Your piss-poor attitude isn't doing anyone any good. Believe me. If I could take back every negative thing I have ever said about Christmas, I would in a heartbeat. I'd tell my 10-year-old self sing along with my mom to Andy Williams's "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year." I'd sit down and watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas with Jacy instead of beelining to my room. I'd wake up and "stalk" Santa with Jacy instead of catching those extra hours of sleep.

I can't take back my past actions, but I can make my future Christmases ones to remember. I have 23 years of holiday cheer to make up for and there's no sooner time than the present. I've already started celebrating Christmas this year. A week ago, I purchased a holiday ornament for my rear view mirror. Today, I've listened to six straight hours of Christmas music. And hopefully this weekend, Jacy and I will be able to get some sort of tree decorated in our house. (We're thinking a Harry Potter-themed Womping Willow tree this year. Yeah, we're weirdos. Accept.) When Christmas actually does roll around, I'll let my youngest nephew, Bo, take his time opening his gifts. I don't care if it takes four seconds or four hours. If he's happy, then I'm happy. If he's purely enjoying Christmas, then I'm purely enjoying Christmas.

It's never too late, friends. Your family won't be around forever, so learn to appreciate every single quirky tradition they do to celebrate the holiday. I'll tell you this -- next time my dad cracks open his accordian case to play Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I'll be right beside him with my saxophone.

What are you waiting for? Pandora's Christmas Radio station is ready for you.

In my book, there can never be enough Christmases in this lifetime.

Less of this.