With the rush of catching deals on Black Friday and the hustle and bustle of trying to bake for family gatherings in little to no time, we sometimes lose the meaning of what the holiday season is truly about. We forget that it's a time for family, less about spending money and more about spending time with the ones we love.
Last year, Ikea introduced a Christmas campaign titled "The Other Letter." 10 families participated in the experiment, and children were asked to write a letter to the Three Kings (like Santa Claus). In their letters to the Three Kings, the children asked for games, a guitar, or, from one little girl, a unicorn.
When the children were done writing to the Three Kings, they were asked, "what would you ask your parents for this Christmas?" In their respective letters, the children's answers were thought-provoking and heartwarming.
Watch to see what they wrote:
This year, German grocery store chain Edeka released their very own Christmas ad, expressing some of the same ideas as Ikea.
In the commercial, an old man is upset to find out that his family won't be joining him for Christmas. They told him that they wouldn't be able to make it.
Then, the old man did something surprising. Watch to see what he did:
As we are in the midst of the holiday season, it is important to remember what means the most to us. To be happy, we don't need money, toys, or gifts. Instead, we need people, family, and love.
These children can teach us that we need others to be with and cherish. Holidays are less about the decorated sugar cookies or shopping for friends and more about the people we spend our time with.
The old man teaches us that family is really the only thing we've got. They are constant. Whether they live miles away or we don't talk to them as much as we'd like, they are always going to be family.
To me, the holiday season is about more than giving and getting. It's about togetherness.
Religious or not, the holidays are a time when we are encouraged to gather together and make up for lost time. If we never make the time to see the ones we love, when will we?
So the next time you are running to the mall to catch a last minute sale, just take the time to remember why you're buying those gifts. The holiday season brings us together, and these holiday campaigns prove that that's true.
