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Reason For The Season

Presence, not Presents

Ellie Manspile
Dec 21, 2015
College of William and Mary
20
Reason For The Season

Sometimes the reason for the season gets clouded by commercial interests. It all starts with Black Friday, and then builds for the next few weeks until a five minute drive to the mall turns into 30 minutes the week before Christmas. When people rush to go out shopping and find the best sale, they forget that this time of year is supposed to be reflective and peaceful. There is so much to be thankful for over the holidays: friends, family, health, pets, and Netflix, just to name a few. Not to mention, nothing puts you in a bad mood faster than getting stuck in traffic caused by last minute holiday shopping (clearly I had my blinker on to take that parking spot).

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about find a great sale or the perfect present for my friend, but I also find myself stressed over winter break when I should be relaxed and happy to be home from school. I realized that this is because I get caught up in aspects of the holidays that are fleeting. This holiday season I am challenging myself to enjoy presence, not presents. As cheesy as it sounds, this is a really important thing to do. December always seems to speed by and the day after Christmas is so sad. There is barely a week before Christmas by the time most college final exams are over, and I don’t want to spend most of that time waiting at stoplights or in line. I want to spend it with friends and family decorating, watching movies, baking, and taking naps.

More directly, enjoy the people you are with not the gifts you exchange. Cut down on the time you spend away from home by crafting gifts instead of buying them, renting a movie instead of braving the Star Wars crowd, and trying new recipes instead of going to a restaurant. Use extra time to reach out to old friends you haven’t seen in a while, or read a book by the fire. Even if you are out shopping or stuck in holiday traffic, try not to get caught in the frenzied crowd or angry with a slow driver. Enjoy the presence of the people around you and remain centered in these next few weeks as we wind down 2015 and welcome 2016.

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