I love the holidays.  It seems they are so well positioned that the combined effect of Christmas and New Years can't help but bring out positivity and goal setting for the New Year.

As the year winds down, it's almost as if we wind down with it.  We get into old habits, work and school grind us down, and everything about life seems kind of drab.  Sure Halloween was fun, but as November comes to a close things seem a dull shade of gray.  But then Thanksgiving comes.

And with that holiday we begin to think a little differently.  We look at what we have and we're actually thankful for it.  And by the next day - whether you agree with the commercialization of Black Friday or not - our attitudes have switched from self pity to selflessness in less than 24 hours.  It's remarkable.

The spirit of Christmas is infectious.  It's beautiful.  It's spiritual.  People begin to really understand what this whole life is about.  For an entire month, we're concerned about others.  We're happy.  We give gifts.

When Christmas finally gets here, it's wonderful to just sit back and watch the joy that you worked to bring into the lives of those you love be revealed in each gift they open.

But Christmas is more than just gifts.  It's about the Savior.  We have this month of selflessness in celebration of Him.  And that changes people.  We get to thinking about what is important in this life.  We take a look at ourselves and analyze what could be done better - how could we be more like He wants us to be.

And then perfectly, just a few days later comes the New Year - a chance to start all over, to make new goals, and strive to achieve them.

Now I know we don't all keep every New Years Resolution we make, but hopefully this year some of them will stick.  You've still got a day so think about it.  2012 is your year!