It seems like as soon at Nov. 1 comes around, everybody starts to prepare for Christmas. Before Turkey Day had even passed, Walmart already had Christmas trees up and ready for purchase, and stores advertise their big Christmas sales all throughout December.
As much as the holidays are commercialized, I think all the craziness has a bigger purpose. The purpose is to celebrate with family and acknowledge the important days of worship that different religions dedicate time to during the winter holiday season.
Winter is a time for celebration, rest, relaxation and quality time with the ones who matter the most, no matter what holiday you choose to celebrate. Most people have vacation time during the holiday season and this may be the only quality time they have to spend time with family, friends and significant others, without the stress of going to work or school. It’s a time to show the ones they love the appreciation that they may not get to show throughout the year.
There would be no reason to buy a gift or throw a party if there weren’t a reason to celebrate: to give back to family and others who need extra help. Efforts are still being made to celebrate holidays traditionally. Plenty of individuals continue to practice the traditions that go along with the holiday like helping those who are less fortunate and can’t afford to have a Christmas dinner or buy gifts for their children.
The holidays are a time to be selfless and give back. I believe that people go through the madness of holiday shopping to make this time special because they want to make their loved ones happy. The craziness is worth it if you can put a smile on the face of your mom or dad. This is the time of year where people can take the time to appreciate their family and friends and show that they care. It means a lot when you can surprise your mom with the book she has been dying to read all year because you remembered the conversation that you had about it, and you know it would make her happy.
People put all their time and money into something because they believe in the meaning behind the purchase. From the time I was a child, I remember saving all my money during Christmas time because I wanted to buy gifts for my family and friends to make them happy. The costs of the gifts never mattered. The gesture is what made them smile. I knew this was a special time for them, and I wanted to show them that I cared and hoped they enjoyed their holiday. Now that I am older, I still do the same things because no matter what age you are, the gesture of giving a gift during a special time of the year has the same impact.
