Walking past a charity bucket when I walk into a store or seeing a dressed up Santa in December always makes me wonder what's the most important part of the winter season.

During the holiday season, most of us express our gratefulness while being surrounded by family. Like myself, I tend to be the happiest at this time, because the winter time is portrayed as this magical, loving, and thankful time of year. It's during this time that we really think about what we have that others don’t.

One thing that we all need to know is that gratitude should not vanish along the winter months, but remain within us. We all come together with our families and friends but eventually, that close-knit community feeling goes away once the holidays leave.

But here’s a crazy thought –– what if thankfulness was thought about year-round?

Around the world, people may be struggling with their lives and go through worse issues than many citizens of Western society, like poverty, addictions, abuse, and many more. Not many people think about how lucky they truly are for the things they have. It’s amazing how some of us don’t really think about the people we have in our lives, the basic necessities, or even the clothes we wear.

I am completely guilty of not realizing what I have in my life. When I was younger I didn’t fully see the significance of how important my parents really are. I would get angry and ignore them if I didn't get my way, even when it was probably for my own good that they said no. I would complain and not ever thank them for the things they do for me, but I soon came to learn that when I needed advice, they were the only ones who truly helped me. Not until I grew up did I really realize how much I need them.

It’s sad that many of us don’t see the significance of the things and people in our lives. I believe that as long as someone is surrounded by people who love and support them, nothing can stand in their way.

As I have grown older and more mature, I have come to realize the impact of family. When my grandma died, it left my family devastated, because she held us all together. After she was gone, my family, including myself, all changed and became much closer to each other.

Before my grandma got sick, I would always come to her house to spend time with her. We would cook, do puzzles or watch TLC. When she was diagnosed with cancer, it was hard for my family, and it was a scary thing. We would get phone calls that she was in the ICU. We would spend nights at a time all sleeping in the hospital waiting room. It was a hard thing to see someone you truly love so miserable.

My mom and I would come to my grandparents' house to take care of her while my grandpa would go to work in the Capitol. I remember being a 13-year-old girl sitting by my sick grandma, being scared for her and not knowing how to connect with her anymore. When she died I regretted not being able to spend more time with her at her most critical moments when she was sick.

As long as I have my family, I am able to accomplish anything. As all teenagers do, I have gone through some stressful times that I have dealt with and the only people I looked to for advice and comfort were my family, and they helped me through it all.

It’s so important for us to know how thankful we should be for the people in our lives. Loved ones help us grow. They support us through our accomplishments and failures; they never judge, but instead, build us up to be stronger people.

My advice? Always remember the people who have never let you down. One thing many fail to remember is to thank the ones they love. You never know when it will be too late, having last words of regret to them would kill you for the rest of your life, so appreciate everyone in your life and never take them for granted.

This is not to say that we aren't allowed to complain every once in a while. Remembering the great things you have right now will set you up to have a greater life and make you a better person overall.

One person that I really appreciate is my dad. My dad always reminds me of what's important, saying, “You are stronger than you believe and you can do anything you dream of.”

Sometimes, I have been really angry with him and thought he was unfair, but I soon regretted it. I realized he never fails to show me how much he loves me and his family. When I am dealing with issues that I can’t deal with by myself, he is the one person I can go to talk about anything to, no matter what it is.

I struggle with the fear of feeling like everyone is going to leave, and all of my life my dad has shown me that he is right by my side. He is a great example of what I want to be as a person, parent, adult or friend. I will always be thankful for him.

When I was 13 years old, I always thought my dad was very protective and I felt he never let me do anything. One day, I remember I had cleaned my room and helped him with cleaning around the house, and that night, when he said no I couldn’t go to the movies with my friends at 9:30 p.m., I was completely frustrated. I slammed my door, I was yelling and screaming. I just didn’t understand why he couldn’t pick me up when the movie was over.

Two years later, I asked my dad again if I can go to the movies at an earlier time so he is able to take me. I look back at those times where I would get so angry at him when he wouldn’t let me go to the movies late at night and I realize that my dad works hard every day. He is tired and worn out, and it makes sense on why he wouldn’t want me to be out late, being I was only 13-years-old and he had to work hard again in the next morning.

I've learned that what my dad works every day, running his business so I can have the things I have. That night when I was 13 compared to when I was 15, I see why I should have thought of how it was going to affect more than just me.

The holidays are a great time to be reminded of what all that we have. It’s a happy time of year. But with all of the bad things that go on around the world constantly, you’d think it would also cause us to come together and be reminded of all of the things we are lucky to have year-round.

Whenever I hear a child complaining that s/he didn’t get the perfect Christmas presents that they asked for, or that s/he didn’t want to eat what's for dinner, I want to sit them down and give them this same lecture. We need to learn to appreciate everything we have and are provided with along the way.