Christmas Message from Senator Wendy Davis, Gov. candidate

For me, Christmas has always been about family.

When it gets close to December 25, I think about the Christmas traditions my family has passed on to me. I think about my mother, who grew up with thirteen siblings. They couldn't afford an extravagant Christmas, but every one of them would always get a gift: an orange. While it doesn’t seem like much, it was a beautiful lesson early in life about what’s really important. They didn’t have the money for fancy gifts, but they had each other. My mom carried on that tradition with her children, adding her own twist -- an apple and some hard-shelled nuts.

Now that I’m a mom with daughters of my own, I take pride in passing that lesson about family on by including an orange in their stockings each Christmas. And I hope that if my daughters have children one day that they’ll keep the tradition alive for years to come.

Holidays are all about family. It’s always been that way. That’s why this Christmas, the first one without my father, won’t be easy. My family and I will miss his presence beyond words. But we'll undoubtedly celebrate his life and the vivid memories we share -- his joy, his laughter, and his love.

This Christmas Eve, our family will gather to make pizzas and enjoy our traditional white elephant gift swap (always a hilarious highlight of the holiday season). We’ll spend the holiday catching up, reflecting on the past year, and surely discussing the exciting one to come.

And you -- the people on Team Wendy, the Texans I've met across our state -- you're my family too. Family's about working for each other, about looking out for each other, and about sharing a dream of a brighter tomorrow with each other. You've worked so hard for our campaign and for what we're trying to do, and I'm truly thankful for that.

To you, my wonderful family, Merry Christmas. May you enjoy a safe, peaceful, happy holiday.

Wendy Davis