The Most Heartwarming Photo Contest Ever...Thank You So Much For Your Entries! The Winner is...

@salahchiva

Here is what came with his photo:

cryptoctopus
Christmas is the occasion to celebrate and glorify the year in an atmosphere of love and brotherhood and is a wonderful occasion to give ourselves some rest and family gathering and friends wish you a happy birthday!
I'm in a beautiful place in a wonderful city that is the city of Constantine called the City of the Hanging Bridges
The atmosphere is very cool snow and the sun reflects snow white
Really a wonderful place worth sharing with you

This one as especially good and since the picture was taken in Turkey, which is the country of birth of Saint Nicholas, the man behind the legend of Santa Claus, I had to give extra points for that.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

@fitzgibbon

The holidays are best spent with family, I'm in Almelo, the Netherlands, where on the 24th of December we are celebrating the 94th birthday of grandma

@hornblende

Hello Steemians!! This is me and my friends right now, we are just chilling out under a tree. The celebration has started. I'm the one holding the camera. I'm in Edo State,Nigeria.
I want to wish all steemians a happy christmas and new year celebration. Remember Jesus is the reason for the season

@theprintuplist

Beautiful Brooklyn, NY.
Wishing every Steemian a happy and healthy holiday!

@rival

Dear @cryptoctopus, thank you for this contest... I love the idea and told my kids ( who know all about steemit). They would love to make this entry. So my daughter made the sign for you. Our bird Nemo is also on the picture for you.

@sophiah

Holidays well spent on a beach here in the Philippines!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

@dreamcity

Merry christmas all my steemit friends.
I am from India, the awesome country with amazing people.
On this Christmas I wish bright future of steemit.com and all the users. May Jesus fill their heart with love soul with purity and mind with talent and life with lots of friends.

@miti

First of all Merry Christmas to you and to everyone who read this comment!
I'm in Alberobello, a nicely place in the south of Italy which is UNESCO World Heritage Centre! Have you ever heard about "Trulli"?
This is one of my picture of this lovely town...
My wish is that this community grow in peace and that STEEM values increase in the 2018... it will help much people with economic problems, especially the ones from poor countries.

@shellychelle03

Christmas is the season of giving, forgiving and love. The best Christmas is spent with your Family. I'm spending my Christmas with the love of my life, My Family. I'm @shellychelle03 from Philippines wishing my fellow Steemians a Christmas full of Joy. Merry Christmas to All.

@vangelov

Best of wishes to you @cryptoctopus ! I love how you give back to the community, its quite heart warming !
I am currently trekking the Scotish Highlands near Edinburgh Scotland. Originally from Bulgaria <3

@vidafitnessfeliz

Very good afternoon, here I am in Peru in the city coast of Lima, here arranging for Christmas dinner and gifts for children and also my pet Sasha is part of the family, tell all the Steemianos is time to be happy because Christmas arrived the Time to be children. May they pass it with joy, peace and union in every one of their homes

@yumyumseth

I'm currently in Apple Creek, OH with my wife's family. We're enjoying a cozy evening in their living room watching Christmas movies and enjoying time together. It just started snowing outside and is supposed to continue doing so most of the night, so we have a White Christmas to look forward to! I just took this picture of my stocking hanging from the mantle above the fireplace, with the Christmas tree in the background.

My wish for all Steemians is that they can treasure their time together with family and friends in the coming days. I would add that it can be really easy to just focus on superficial and happy thoughts over Christmas, but I encourage everyone to engage in genuine interactions in which you really connect with each other and go beyond surface level to forge stronger bonds and friendships. Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!

@uzair1214

I am sitting at the front of Church and here is all natural Christmas trees, we are waiting for Santa, we enjoy a lot.
Merry CHRISTMAS

@innocentabroad

In Versova village , Mumbai, India Was on home way back from office.
Everybody has the idea of Santa in their head and in their heart-(Quoted By Mick Foley).
Merry Christmas To all

@theexplorer

Merry Christmas to the Steemian Community, Christmas to me is all about family and friends, coming together and thinking of others. This photo was taken from my seat sat in a restaurant by the ChaoPhraya river in Bangkok, Thailand with my family. I didn't want to leave my Thai in-laws as they had lost two family members this year and I have tried to support them as much as I can. Try to think of others before yourself and I wish for all of your souls to be blessed at this wonderful time of year.

@kingsolo

From the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. My daughter and I dressed up for the Christmas service.
I wish every steemian a merry christmas. May the joy of the season bring good tidings to you all.

Conclusion

Thanks for every single person who entered the contest. One thing that I realized was how you all are from different parts of the world and you are beautiful and unique individuals. We all share in the magic and wonder of Christmas. I dont yet fully grasp how you and I are influencing each other in this crazy adventure.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas time.

Amen!