So this is Christmas...

It's Christmas time, it's snowing, houses are covered with lights and people are in cheery moods, it's "the happiest season of all" or so many think. Personally I think Christmas has been blown out of proportion. My family isn't religious at all, but we still celebrate the Christian holidays most likely because they are so advertised by retail stores television and society in general. I have no problem with the idea behind Christmas, giving to those you love spending time with the family, the core of any holiday, but the pressure placed upon one to rush to the sales to buy everyone on their list,and to send out a card to everyone they know is insane. Some will argue that you don't have to get anyone a gift but they seldom mean it, most feel bad if they "forget" someone, but how can you forget someone who is important to you?
I don't need a holiday to send out gifts to those I care, and I don't need to conform to this materialistic "love." A simple e-mail saying "hi" or a hug when someone is having a bad day means more then a pair of socks that will be stuffed into a drawer and never worn again. I still give gifts and cards around the holidays, and I decorate my tree but I do it with a heavy heart knowing that sadly very few people truly understand the holidays. The look on someones face when you surprise them with something they weren't expecting, the time spent with friends and family just acting silly, and the feeling of belonging are more important then getting a gift from your best friend because he/she has to get you something, and inviting people over because you think they might get offended if you don't (although sometimes doing this can be quite comical I've seen many fights break out around the holidays.)
A simple card from someone that means a lot to me is more important then an extravagent gift from someone who feels obligated. Some of the best items i've recieved around the holidays were, sleding at midnight across the street with a few close friends, the snowball fight we had with same strangers that same night, Sitting at Starbucks with my mom and sister just talking, and trying to get an oversized tree into the house. It's sad to think that so many wonb't be able to enjoy any of these things because they are to caught up in buying that perfect gift for everyone and making sure aunt so and so who they haven't spoken to since last year comes over.