Christmas

This year the holidays have been different for me. I literally laid up in a hotel bed on Thanksgiving and ate junk food and snacks with my wife all day. Actually, I totally enjoyed that. The Christmas holiday has always been my favorite time of the year. I'm in love with the music, lights, decorations, Hallmark and BET movies, weather, hot chocolate, and the reason for the season. At the beginning of the year, my goal was for my family to be in our home by the holidays, because at the time we were renting.  Well those plans became fleeting thoughts when we lost everything in the house fire in September. 

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Since the fire, my family and I have been living in a hotel. Well it had truly dampened my Christmas spirit not having a place of our own. When I said I wanted to be out of the rental house by the holidays, I didn't mean I wanted to be homeless and living in a hotel.  Well since I didn't have a home to decorate and I needed to feel that joy again, I got the cool idea to decorate my classroom. My kiddos helped me put the tree up and my students helped decorate the tree and the classroom. It was the most beautiful experience ever. I actually have a video clip below from me and my kids putting up the tree. I get a little emotional but I have realized it's okay for me to be emotional. I have been through a lot, my family has been through a lot this year. We survived 2 emotional breakdowns, 3 cases of COVID (Feb and early March) before we knew it was a thing, pandemic, 2 hurricanes, and a house fire. Need I say more?

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One of the things I love most is the ability to express my love through gift giving. This year I didn't have the means to give material things but I gave of myself daily with my students. And guess what for the first time ever I was showered with more love than I knew how to handle. My students made personalized gifts and even bought HP themed gifts. Yes, the wreath was a gift. My student and her family made this for my classroom and even though Christmas will come and go this decoration is here to stay. I can't wait to find the perfect place for it in my classroom. I'm so thankful for life and to be able to wake up and do what I love. To all my students past and current know that I love you and I'm always thinking of y'all . MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE