Christmas the time of year that everyones seems to love, but the majority for the wrong reasons. If you ask a child what they love about Christmas, 9 times out of 10 they would say the presents or Santa Claus. If you would ask a adult, their answer would be more along the lines of how stressful it is shopping for everyone. Christmas is now nothing more than a commercialized holiday; companies view it as the biggest money making holiday of the year - I mean, my goodness, we have been promoting it since Halloween, which is ridiculous!

Everyone is so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, making sure they get the right present for everyone on their list. You need to make sure you buy gifts for everyone you have ever known, because if they present you with a gift and you have nothing in return that is a holiday crime. Because in case you weren't aware giving someone a present you bought at a department store is the true measure of how much said person means to you. Sadly, that is how our society is. Frankly I abhor it, I abhor the holiday season because of what it has become, the obsession that you need to buy everyone a present, the way everyone tries to act so nice just because it is the holiday season and it is the thing to do (frankly you shouldn't try to be nice or do good just because it is what you're supposed to do). I am not saying this to be a scrooge, for there are a lot of things I enjoy about the season, I just do not enjoy it for the reason society seems to. I enjoy seeing my family and friends, baking cookies, the lights, the old family memories, the re-reading of the birth of Christ, the break from college (haha).

I am not saying giving gifts is a bad thing but I just do not think it is of the upmost importance. Because just think at the end of the day the gifts fade, but the memories you create with family and friends stay. If you were told that there was no gift giving involved in Christmas but just the family gatherings, would you still love it as much? I know I would be thrilled to hear that, because I think we need to realize that the best gifts are the others that aren't store bought. And just because you give a gift doesn't mean you are entitled to receive one. For Christmas isn't called Giftmas, it is called CHRIST-mas for a reason. However, no one seems to acknowledge what the true meaning of Christmas even is anymore, its disgraceful really. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, it is about the rejoicing knowing that the lord blessed us with the birth of his son. It ISN'T about Santa Claus, or presents or songs about falling in love. All those things are fine and well but its to the point that they have replaced the true meaning of the season and that should not be. So spend time with your family, be thankful for what you have, stop stressing over the feeling that you have to give everyone a gift. And most importantly take time to recall the the mircale of the birth of Christ. It is time to put the CHRIST back in CHRIST-mas.