I am first to admit that I'm a sucker for the holidays. I would argue that November first until the beginning of the New Year is truly the most wonderful time. The weather is changing, the leaves are beginning to fall and welcome autumn and the frosty morning air cues comfy sweaters and Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

November becomes the homestretch of the semester. College students experience the tease that is Thanksgiving break and hope that those extra slices of turkey and apple pie will get them through the hell that is finals week.

The anticipation of going home is bittersweet. Winter break means sleeping in, all you can eat home-cooked meals, rapid fire questioning by your crazy aunt, and, of course, the wonderful receiving of presents.

But unfortunately as the holidays approach, we only begin to think about one thing…ourselves. Our lives, our families, our friends, and all that we hope to obtain this season.

2015 has been a year filled of joy, heartbreak and utter terror. From the birth of the adorable Princess Charlotte, to the United States visit of Pope Francis, to the mass fear that the Pairs attacks and horrific shootings instilled in Americans nation wide.

I was fortunate enough to be reminded of the important things and how blessed I am to be living the life some only dream of.

Often times we carelessly indulge in unnecessary activities that are made possible by our privilege as Americans. We pay $3.50 for a Starbucks latte, we drop $30 at dinner with friends, we spend $100 on the pair of boots we desperately want but don’t really need.

That $3.50 is the tank of gas that gets the mom to the hospital every day to sit with her son through chemotherapy. That $30 is groceries for a week of dinner for the struggling family as the Dad just lost his job. Those boots that are so ‘in’ this winter are $100 that could be saved, put away for a college education that the single mother of four dreams for her daughter.

We fail to recognize the effect the holidays have on the lives of people outside of ourselves. The mother grieving the loss of her father, the sister crying over her brother's chronic illness, the parents struggling to provide a hot holiday dinner for their children, the wife who has to painfully tell her daughter that Daddy won’t be home for her birthday, the police officer sacrificing his Christmas Day, the teen in the hospital unsure if she will make it to graduation. The thousands of empty seats at the tables of families who have loved ones deployed overseas.

At some point we lost sight of what truly is important. Be thankful for the love you are surrounded by. The holidays should be measured by the amount of time you spend with loved ones, by the memories you're creating and the laughs you're sharing, not the number of presents you're receiving. Be grateful for even the littlest of things.

Give back to those less fortunate, give a donation to Toys for Tots, or the loose change on the floor of your car, a letter to the little girl awaiting chemotherapy Christmas Eve, an hour of your time volunteering.

Unwrapping the gift of giving back is far more rewarding than anything materialistic. The feeling of empowerment that overcomes you when you realize you have the potential to change someone’s life. Your dollar, your donated box of pasta, your 10 minutes can make a difference.

Seeing the smile of the mother at the food bank, the gratitude expressed by the little boy who didn’t expect presents from Santa, the outpouring of love that fills military bases upon receiving care package donations, that is indescribable.

The holidays aren’t a competition, because next year there will be something better, a new phone, the must have handbag, the hottest riding boots. It’s the traditions that live on, the feelings that fill our hearts with happiness. Because in reality, all we have is each other and without that support, we will fall apart.

You can’t ask for more time, Santa doesn’t deliver nonviolent schools, a grandparent’s return from heaven, or a safe world. It’s up to you to live your life, to value those that are irreplaceable and be thankful 365 days.

This holiday season remember those lost, take a moment for the families that are incomplete and be appreciative of all that you are lucky to have.