By Eric Noel Roman

The holiday season is upon us. It is time to be grateful for everything you have, and then it is time to show your loved ones how much you love them. There are many ways to express your affection. You can buy gifts, cook a meal, or write a note (obviously there are tons of ways). However, there is one person that cannot be forgotten. This person requires the most attention of all.

Throughout the year we work hard on our lives. All of our time is spent learning new topics, or new hobbies in order to lead an interesting life with interesting people. It is time consuming, tedious, and at times can cause us to feel down about our discoveries or abilities. Creating our personalities requires quite a bit of hard work. I try everyday to wake up and learn a new word, or try to see things presented to me from multiple perspectives. There are times where I work hard to learn a new magic trick (or science trick) to show my friends and entertain them. I try my best to always bring forward a positive addition to my environment. There are occasions that I need to remove myself from my social creations to remind myself of something very important. These are the times where I have lost focus on the most important person in my world. I have a tendency to get down on myself because I forget to nurture this relationship. This year, however, has been a bit different because of the isolation. I have spent quite a bit of time contemplating how to create happiness without groups of people. Then a light turns on in my head.

After so many times of cooking dinners for friends, going to social gatherings others have organized, changing my plans to accommodate a friend, or just buying a simple gift, I realized I have spent quite a bit of time and energy helping others. This year I plan on spoiling the one person who matters most. I already was thankful to have GREAT friends and family members. I spent time going out and socializing (responsibly, of course). I sacrificed enough for others. This holiday season is all about me.

As you wrap up your next gift, or seal your next envelope, remember that the next person to send something special to, is you. It could be anything; write a note, take yourself out to a special meal, a spa day, buy yourself a gift. Just take the time to make yourself smile.