Just like Michael Bublé's famous song, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas", the most festive season is coming! I've lived in my small Wyoming college town for a year now, but this holiday season has felt more festive than ever before. I've attended more parades and community celebrations in the last three months than in my whole life! and the weather this year is surprisingly warmer than last year!

It all kicked off around late November when NWC organized a big group trip to the annual holiday parade over in Cody. I'll never forget the sight of gigantic balloons and colorful floats all lit up with twinkling lights parading down the main street. It was super cold that night, but with a cup of hot cocoa or smores from the sidewalk, I hardly noticed while getting into the festive spirit.

The next event came from my friendship family, Christine, here who invited me to downtown Powell's annual Christmas lighting ceremony. It was magical seeing the trees in glimmering lights while listening to carolers fill the streets with song!

The next evening, I joined my international student friends to actually participate and walk in Powell's holiday parade! We waved and danced down the parade route in our college’s float, throwing candy canes out to all the cheering children. I'll never forget the wide smiles and sense of community. There must have been more than hundreds of people lined up, bundled in their warmest blanket and singing along to the Christmas music.

To top it all off, my friendship family host Christine brought me to the annual open house event at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody a couple days later. Between the festive exhibits on cowboy Christmas traditions, candid photos snapping with Santa and his elves, it was a captured of the all-American Christmas experience.

This season has shown me just how much Christmas spirit small-town communities can foster. The glowing lights, jolly tunes, and sweet treats have filled me with a profound sense of holiday cheer and connection. I think experiencing these time-honored traditions has been the greatest gift of all!