Editor's note: Louisiana Tech's Brooke Lassiter, a senior guard and two-year co-captain, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Dec. 21, 2001

Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought I would give you all an idea of what Christmas is like in the Lassiter family and what it means to me. I love this time of year because I have the opportunity to visit with family members that I do not see on a regular basis. I love the fact that a single day has such significance in my life and our family!

	Brooke Lassiter averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season.

Christmas, to many, translates into exchanging gifts, gorging on great food, and watching television all day long. The most exciting thing for me is to be able to spend a day or two with the most important and precious people in my life, my family. I look back on all of the Christmas mornings I had as a child and laugh at how fired up my sister, Lindsey, and I became as we anticipated the opening of the bedroom door at our grandmother's house to run in the living room and begin opening our gifts. Now, I am just so thankful to be able to go home and enjoy my time there.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, and is not merely a day filled with Santa Claus and his reindeer. The idea of giving a gift brings me such joy. To see a person's face as he or she opens the package is a thrill for me and really brightens my day. God gave us the best gift of all when He sent His Son to be born and live on this earth. That is what Christmas is all about!

Our family tradition consisted of spending every Christmas Eve at my "Gammaws" house and then Christmas morning at my "Meemaws" house in Little Rock. As we grew older and my sister and I went off to college, we started having Christmas morning at our own house. The change was quite different at first, but now has become our new tradition.

We now no longer get up with the anticipation of what bicycle or toy we will receive but with the joy of having each one of us there to hug. Since I have been away at school, the day has been relegated to sharing with one another stories of previous encounters while we are away from each other.

I cannot wait to see everyone and play with my little cousins and all of their new toys. Seeing the excitement in their eyes on Christmas morning takes me back to those days of anxiety and "box shaking." I was a sneaky child and thrived on being able to figure out what gifts of mine were under the tree. I guess you could say I've grown out of that, but my Mom would probably disagree and say that I still have a little of it in me!

My time at home this Christmas will be limited but I plan to enjoy every single moment with family and friends. I look forward to waking up on Christmas morning and drinking my hot chocolate as we gather as a family to open our gifts from everyone. I'm giddy just thinking about it!

I want to wish each one of you a wonderful holiday season. May each of you have a day filled with family and friends and some good food, too! Enjoy the time you are able to spend with loved ones and let them know how much it means to you. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

See you next week.

Brooke