Alexa Epp

11/30/2017

It’s that time of the year again and no matter how excited I get about the wonderful cheer it begins to become stress central. As the dates come up so very quickly gift giving can be a struggle and the prices are slowly rising. People all over the world will spend way more than they can afford on gifts and statistics show that almost 56 percent of Americans went into debt just this last christmas over their christmas hauls. The thing about gift-giving is that it feels good while you’re doing it but hurts your wallet later. In an honest survey seven out of ten Americans admitted that they could do away with the gift giving as long as the rest of their family went along with it. In the spirit of giving it seems like the christmas we always glorify is more about receiving and the price tag rather than the actual thought.

Christmas is my favorite time of year and giving to someone else really gives me extreme joy during these times. Yet the pressure to exceed expectations and to give someone something worthwhile tends to be in the back of my mind at all times. Gifts are about giving back to people in need, and Michael Guillen in this article is trying to tell the public that giving is about helping those that truly need it. Charities, donations, and everything in-between that can help those that are less fortunate. I love the encouragement of the idea that giving to others is giving to yourself as well. From a young age my mother always taught me that although you may want something other people may absolutely need it and in that idea it has made me endlessly grateful for the life that I now have. I think that in the spirit of giving it may actually be better to teach kids young to give one gift to someone else and create a society in which we help others while helping ourselves. Sometimes the gift of food, shelter, or warmth, can be so easily taken advantage of and the love of a family’s bond can be all you really need.

With so many alternative gifts on the planet there are hundreds of cheap ways to give. Whether it be a dollar or so here or there to a charity or a donation to a cause, people can give back without giving everything they own. In order to truly feel fulfilled this christmas it’s not about the price or the money it’s about the thought and the sentiment in the gift. We appreciate the things that are given to us and it becomes a precious and valuable item when it comes from the heart. In my eyes I would rather have something that shows that the person knows who I am and knows what I hold dear. This christmas I hope that instead of the family fighting to create a materialistic holiday that instead we create a celebration of togetherness, bonding, and the gift of the life we have now.