The True Meaning of the Holidays

As the holidays approach, people have to worry more and more about money because of presents they are expected to give. The holidays are about getting together with your loved ones and showing them you care but for some, a lot of the focus is on how much you spend. Everyone likes to have something given to them but what's really more important: the thought or the money? What person wouldn't like to be given that camera they have been dying for, or the newest laptop? I think everyone would be in awe if that was the present they opened, but over the years that expensive item is just going to be a gadget you use rather than a treasured memory. When I buy or receive presents, I like having ones that I can look at them and remember when I got them and the feeling that it gave me to know that someone cared that much about me.

I remember wanting and needing a laptop so bad and asking my parents for it. I thought that I would never get it but then on Christmas day I opened my own new laptop; I couldn't believe it because it was so expensive. I started to scream, jump, and hug my parents because of how excited I was. I finally got what I wanted so badly, but as the months and years passed it just became another replaceable item for me. Of course I loved it and appreciated my parents for getting it but it's more of just an investment rather than a memory. The presents that I do remember are the ones that are sentimental and have meanings behind them. I remember when one of my friends wrote me a poem and framed it because her words touched my heart. It didn't matter that it wasn't a lot of money because what she wrote let me know what she thought of me and our friendship. Now every time that I look at it I can remember the tears that I felt when I first read it, and the special feeling that I felt knowing she took the time to make it for me. Everyone likes to feel like their special enough for someone to take the time to find a gift that they can treasure for a long time rather than something they will just eventually throw away.

Gifts are a way to show someone that during the holidays they are on our minds by giving them what they want. The holidays are a way to stop worrying about what you need and ask for what you truly want which is usually a gift that requires more money than thought, but with the economy going downhill money is becoming more of an issue. We would all like to give those special people in our lives what they really want, whether it's the iPod touch or the new notebook. Sometimes our budget doesn't allow us to do that. But a person's budget doesn't have to completely stop their gift giving because the most thoughtful gifts can be the least expensive ones. We may not be in grade school anymore but writing poems, making crafts, creating pictures, or just making things that someone can look at for years to come that will put a smile on their face can mean more to them than money could ever.