I remember when I was little and Christmas would come around. It didn’t snow in Los Angeles, and it didn’t get to be freezing cold like here on the East Coast, but the world still felt cozy. I felt like there was excitement and anticipation around the holidays, and I saw everything with rose-tinted glasses. The magic was still alive; it felt like the old movies, and what you might imagine when you think of Christmas.

Now that I’m older, I see the incessant marketing about Christmas sales, telling me that my friends will love me if I buy them a better gift than their other friends, and that I will be in the true Christmas spirit if I spend copious amounts of money on presents for other people. How comforting for a college student struggling to pay bills every month.

We have been brainwashed as a society that bigger and more expensive always means better. Even something as trivial as decorating for the holidays has become a competition to the point where people hang zillions of lights that sync with music, have blow-up snow globes and reindeer on their front lawn, have a huge Santa figure on their roofs, and have a nativity scene pushed in the corner just so that not one patch of non-festive grass or house is showing.

But, as usual, the question remains: Why? Why is it important for people to buy insane amounts of presents for other people, when half the time the presents are thrown away within a year? Why is it festive to be the house with the most lights on your street, blinding everyone who drives by with your “Christmas spirit”?

It’s all entirely, unarguably excessive. My parents raised me with the idea that Christmas meant appreciating those you love in any way you can, whether or not that is an extravagant gift. Yes, of course you want to treat your friends and family by getting them gifts to show you thought about them and love them, but they don’t have to be material. Sometimes, my parents would buy me tickets to movies and concerts, or take me on trips as my Christmas presents and that, to me, means more than any kind of tangible gift. I get to spend time with my family, as well as do something that I enjoy. The memories are the best gift, and those can’t be thrown in the trash.

In this increasingly materialistic society, it can sometimes be a challenge to remember what the truly important things in life are. We say we’ll “just die” if we don’t get that one thing we really, really wanted on our Christmas list, but I promise, we won’t. Every Christmas, I watch the movie "It’s A Wonderful Life," and every year it reminds me of just how grateful I need to be. I believe that Christmas is about remembering that despite all the swarms of negativity we battle everyday, this world we live in is a beautiful place. We are so fortunate to have the power to change someone’s day just by being kind and caring; if that means giving a small gift to show your appreciation and affection, by all means, do it. All of us have people we love surrounding us (friends or family or both), and if we stop and think, what more could we really ask for?

Christmas can mean different things to everyone. For some it's about the birth of Jesus; for others it's about family get-togethers; but for everyone, it’s another holiday where we are reminded of how grateful we truly need to be. Once we stop expecting department store stuff from everyone, and we focus on what we already have, material or not, I think the Christmas feeling we all remember will return in full swing.

Happy holidays to everyone, and I hope that the true spirit of love and Christmas fills your lives this year.