The Holiday season is practically everyone's favorite time of the year (At least it is for everyone I know). Its not just about giving and receiving presents. Yes, that's what the article is about, but let me make my point, but it's about the spirit of the holidays. It doesn't matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything else it's about being together with your friends and family. Now, with your friends and family come to the gift giving.

You're supposed to get a gift for your mom, dad, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, best friend, boyfriend, big, little, neighbor, and even your dog. Unfortunately, that is almost always completely impossible. You're already hungry, cold, and running out of student loans. BUT somehow, someway you find all the money in the world to get everyone the best gifts possible. You get the nice wrapping paper and holiday bags with the colored tissue paper and little bows from the Target dollar spot. Everybody has to have at least two things to unwrap. Nobody gets the same things. God forbid that Aunt Katie and your mom open the same gift because then your mom thinks you love her just as much as her sister, then you have to be reminded for the next 364 days that she was the one that made you.

So, the only option is to put your heart and soul into every single gift. Remember your boyfriend doesn't wear blue because he's a Blackhawks fan, and make sure your cousin gets the Blues case because he prefers hockey over baseball. Oh! You almost forgot that one friend back home that you haven't talked to since you went to college, that's the name you got for secret Santa. Yeah, she can't have nuts.

Overall, these presents are the best things you've put together since that essay you wrote 2 hours before it was due and the presentation you gave hungover after that one fraternity's informal. You might as well just keep them all for yourself because they are just that good and it's exactly what you'd want. So you've got the gifts all in the back seat of your barely running Volvo, and you're so ready to find out what you're secret Santa got you. You can't wait to see the look on Cousin Jess's face when she unwraps that headband she pinned at Thanksgiving. Or when your best friend since fourth grade sees the scrapbook you made her, plus the Alex & Ani bracelet you got her to match your own.

Then, it happens, everybody is opening and loving their gifts. Mission Accomplished. You get yours and your super excited, it's open. BAM! You immediately think "don't look disappointed. don't look disappointed." How could this happen? Why didn't she remember that your favorite color was pink? Dang it, you're my sister. You know I won't wear this gaudy orange t-shirt. It's okay though bestie-for-the-restie has your back. Dang it Karen! I watched you buy this last week when we went through the dollar spot at Target, you said you were using it as your gag gift. I agreed. Overall: Disappointed.

Heres why:

You have made yourself the queen of gift giving. Everybody loves everything you give. You are never the person that gives a last minute gift. Everything has thought and lots of love, no matter who it is. And if it is last minute, that bag is full and has everything that person has ever mentioned that they liked. Gift expectations are beyond the max when it comes to you. Hence why everything that you receive, that isn't something you would give, disappoints you.

Here's your lesson:

As I said before, "Its not just about giving and receiving presents, it's about the spirit of the holidays." My grandma, who is actually the queen of gift giving, always reminds us "the joy is in giving, not receiving." SHE IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. It's the joy of seeing your loved ones opening up their perfect presents and being able to say that you did that. You made them smile. You gave them something that brought them joy.

This holiday season I hope that everyone finds the joy in giving and that it truly warms their heart. No matter the gift, it's not about the size, or the money spent, it's about what it does to the heart. Happy Holidays!