Not too sure about all of you, but Christmas is by far one of my favorite holidays. The weather, the coziness of drinking hot chocolate while admiring a Christmas tree, the variety of Christmas albums (still obsessing over Justin Bieber’s) and the day spent with all of your favorite people. There’s so much to do, in such a small period of time. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I don’t love giving and receiving gifts because I love them. I’m also not going to lecture you about how you shouldn’t give a gift to your friends or loved ones because buying a gift for someone specifically is a great gesture in itself; however, everyone needs to recognize that it isn’t necessarily about the price tag on an item, but it’s about the gratefulness you feel for having that person in your life.

As this holiday always sneaks up on us, it’s obvious that everyone expects materialistic gifts. Maybe this year it’s the new L.L. Bean moccasins of the new improved iphone 7; all are things that people anticipate before the day actually arrives. With this said, it doesn’t add any surprise to Christmas day. Sometimes this day is filled with family activities and traditions that we often forget to take a moment and to initiate the fact that you are thankful for every single person you are spending the day with.

On a personal note, a few years ago I didn’t have the budget to buy every single person in my family an extravagant gift. Therefore, I wrote two-page letters for both my mom and my dad. These letters were heartfelt and caring, as I tried to put into words how my life would be significantly different without them. They provide me with so many opportunities in life and I am forever thankful for them. To this day, they say how those two page letters were the best gift they have received by far. This proves that buying a gift isn’t the only route a person can take to show appreciation; letters, small gift cards and promised coffee dates are three of the many other types of “gift” giving you can utilize.

When you openly tell people that you are grateful for them and their presence, it’s very unpredictable but greatly appreciated especially if you don’t do this on a regular basis. More times than not, it’s these small surprises that have a bigger impact on the person than buying a gift with a large price tag.

Here’s to the abundance of Christmas shopping each person does prior to Christmas Eve and day. Don’t forget to express your gratitude to the ones that you love most in your life, this is extremely important. As Thanksgiving will come and pass in the blink of an eye, be aware of this one simple tip. Who know’s it could save you a lot of money while strengthening a friendship or a relationship at the same time.