I was just thinking that Christmas this year isn’t going to be the Christmas I hoped for when I thought about it last December and even though that still hurts, I’m probably not the only person this year who’s Christmas isn’t going to be what they hoped for. But my Christmas is going to be what I want it to be.

I was just thinking that there are so many ways to celebrate Christmas. While in one country people are celebrating a white Christmas, others are celebrating Christmas in shorts. While some families are celebrating with only a leaf of bread or even less, others are celebrating with casseroles or expensive meat on their plates.

I was just thinking if it matters that Santa lives on the North Pole or lives at Korvatunturi in Finland. Does it matter if he crawls trough the chimney when you know that children who life on the streets and sleep under the bridges in the big cities don’t even have chimneys?

I was just thinking that Christmas is a time to spend with family, even though we do not need a special occasion for that. We can visit our family members many times during the year, not just at the times when travelling can be really stressful. We should visit our relatives because we want to be with them, not because it's "the thing to do" on a particular day. Celebrating Christmas doesn't have to be done according to tradition, because we can make Christmas what we want it to be.

I was just thinking that some families tell their children to behave all year long because otherwise they won’t get any present in December, others don’t have any family to tell them this. Some people start decorating their homes already in October, and with others the only decoration will be a little mistletoe at the door. Some celebrate Christmas with their family or friends while other celebrates alone under the mistletoe hoping that someone will come to visit.

I was just thinking that we hear songs of peace on earth, and sometimes there are no bombs falling ore bullets flying at Christmastime in those parts of the world that celebrate Christmas. I was just thinking about the true meaning of Christmas, and how it can bring love and peace to even those who choose not to worship the Christ.

So Santa Claus, Papai Noel, Weinachtsman, Père Noël, Tel-apo, Mikulas or kerstman… This Christmas might not be what I thought it would be for me, but it’s going to be Christmas all over the World and I wish love and peace for everyone on it. We can make Christmas what we want it to be.