Zoraya shares with us her Christmas traditions and what this time of year means to her
Christmas, for me, as for so many others, is my favourite time of the year. It is a time to relax and be with family, I feel that I can be a kid again and forget about any worries I may have at the moment. The comfort and love that the holiday brings helps me to remember that things will be alright, because I have friends, family, and love.
As time passes and one grows older, it is easy to feel that the magic of Christmas has begun to dwindle away– which is why I believe it is important to have at least one Christmas tradition to keep you excited for the holiday and to keep reminding about what it is that you love so much about the season.
My own personal Christmas tradition is to pop a bag of popcorn, make hot chocolate, wear fuzzy socks and a warm blanket, and put on one of my favourite movies: Love Actually. The movie, which takes place during the Christmas season, follows eight London couples who are trying to navigate their relationships– it’s funny, but sad; wholesome, but vulgar, and everything in between. It shows love in all its forms and variations– romantic, familial, platonic, while also tackling love in the face of death and heartbreak. I personally relate to death and familial love because the same year that I first watched this film my grandfather passed away on the morning of Christmas Eve. It was a very hard time for my family, but I felt God was looking over us and chose the most appropriate time for us. It happened on a day that my entire family was already going to be together. What we all needed most in that moment was each other, and luckily we had it.