“I know the last few years have been a roller coaster. There’s been tragedy and comedy. And first loves, broken hearts. Family members we’ve lost and found. It hasn’t all been perfect, but we’re all a family here. So cheers.” - Sandy Cohen

For some reason, every time I hear Sandy say that in The OC, it reminds me of Christmas. Christmas has always been a magical time for me, a time to reminisce, a time to give, and a time to reflect on the past year. There are so many special elements which I favour, such as the faint sound of Christmas music playing as my mom decorates the tree, the stunning decorations around town which never fail to amaze me, and of course the feeling waking up on Christmas morning and unwrapping all my presents. But my absolute favourite part would be Christmas dinner. When I was little, Christmas was mostly about toys, and the excitement and exhilaration of seeing what Santa brought me. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve been forced to notice the important things. Reality has fallen upon me all too soon, and my family members have moved away, and my parents are getting older, and suddenly everything changes, slowly and yet all too fast. So every year, as my family sits down to eat Christmas dinner, I take a moment to reflect on what we’ve been through and how blessed we are to have each other. Like Sandy said, there’s been tragedy, but there’s also been happiness, such joyous moments which make all the hardships worth it. People disappoint you sometimes, and sometimes you disappoint yourself, and you fail and make mistakes and try again, but family is always there. There’s been heartache, and magic, and moments of loss and moments of accomplishment, but what’s most significant at the end of the year is that the people that you love are seated in front of you, and I’m always so grateful to God for giving me another year with them. I’ve found that life gets more and more complicated as I grow, there are decisions to make and responsibilities to face, and soon and I’ll have to start being independent and living on my own. But there’s always Christmas dinner to look forward to, knowing that the warmth and comfort of love is always there to guide me, like the dominant light of a star shining in the east. With faith and family, I truly believe that anything is possible. And I’m so thankful for mine.

Here’s to another magical Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

1 in 3 people will suffer from depression, anxiety or panic attacks at one point in their lives. I happen to be part of that statistic. Last year was the toughest year of my life, because for the most part, I was living in a state of fear and anxiety. I have absolutely no reason in my life to be depressed or anxious, because my life is a beautiful place to be. Yet for some reason, I convinced myself that I wasn’t good enough, and I let others convince me of that also. It’s tough in high school, when you listen to the mean girls and you let their words affect you, or when you feel the constant pressure from schoolwork and panic about having to figure out your future and what on earth you’re going to do.

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And when you’re alone, it’s like having your heart shattered. That faith and belief in the chances of everything working out okay slowly dissipates, and all you can think of is ‘How do you deal with a story like this?’ He knew that she wondered about it often, mostly when she was in her car. Lucas Scott often studied her tangled web of golden locks, her trademark Weathervane leather jacket and the way she furiously drew those impassioned drawings.  He loved those striking hazel eyes, which calmly observed the world, and the way she drove her Mercury Comet as though she were just that – A comet speeding through his life, igniting the fire of such an undeniable and dominating passion that completely consumed his soul. 

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