The holiday season brings bright lights on trees, cheery songs on the radio and family togetherness. However, this Christmas craziness begins way too early. 

Commercials for Christmas start airing on Nov. 1, sometimes even before Halloween. Soon after that, the Christmas lights and reindeer and jolly statues of Santa show up in stores. Before Thanksgiving arrives, everywhere you look is decked out in wreaths and tinsel. 

In almost every cheesy holiday movie there is, you’ll find a section of the movie devoted to finding “the true meaning of the holidays.” The movies say that the holidays are about being grateful for what you have and spending time with family. That’s great and all, but that glossy, beautiful idea is nothing more than a dream. 

The holidays are now about spending more and more money on decorations and gifts. Why has this happened? The commercial value of the Christmas season is far more important to stores than the actual meaning of the holiday season, and this should be changed. 

The effectiveness of the commercialization of the holidays creates  pressure on adults to provide more gifts to their families and friends. Without this pressure, individuals could enjoy their holidays and focus on what matters most: togetherness. 

If people focused less on material gifts for the holidays and focused more on being grateful for what they already have, perhaps they’d have a happier holiday season. If people really want to give gifts to their family, then homemade gifts that come from the heart are usually better than those that are store bought. 

Overall, the best gift a person could give is one that is meaningful, rather than glamorous or expensive. Companies are trying to make the holiday season about buying expensive gifts because you feel obligated to do so. Together, we can make the holiday season a happier and less stressful time for all by focusing on family gatherings rather than materialistic gifts.