As Cindy Lou Who put it, “Where are you Christmas, why have you gone away?” The words of a small child from the movie The Grinch go a long way in describing how societal culture has deviated from the true Christmas spirit. We, as today’s society, prioritize exchanging gifts over spending valuable time with loved ones. This is the common holiday cheer because businesses have enveloped us in their views of the holidays as solely being times of commerce.  

For Thanksgiving 2015, Verizon presented an ad, luring consumers by rebranding the time as “Thanksgetting.” Although the ad may have been directed more toward the following day, Black Friday, it provided a false foundation of the holidays. It is also disheartening that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become their own times of celebration. The two days solely glorify the act of buying; they honor greed and resentment, not the appreciation for others we should show during holidays. Whether the occasion comes at a time of Secret Santa or simply getting a gift for the ones we love, retailers have the market hooked, coming back earlier each year.

All of these newly-instilled traditions are profoundly superfluous. They have turned us to judge others’ appreciation through the amount of money spent on gifts. Tradition has us making a list, but if we do not receive particular items, we are found bitter. The envy for others’ gifts takes over. In time, we end up throwing gifts away, as if the entire tradition was meaningless from the start. And to a certain point, it is meaningless. Gifts are a simple way of substituting our true feelings of gratitude. During the holidays, we want to present our best in form of physical material; however, true appreciation is shown through simplicity. We can find it in the way we treat each other or the ways we choose to approach challenges. Afterall, daily signs of acknowledgment go further than those that come around once a year.

The real holiday spirit should come from the heart. Many holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day allow us to give thanks to those we love through true means of compassion and sincerity. In other words, it is not bad to give a gift to someone; however, when doing so, it is best if the gift is meaningful. Furthermore, giving to those who are less privileged is just as beneficial. It shows care because one is giving to a stranger, accepting that the only return they will receive is gratitude for his or her kindness.

During the holidays, no one should be alone, not even the Grinch. When Whoville let the malevolent green beast celebrate the Christmas with them, they realized that the celebration is not dependent on presents nor decorations. It is solely contingent on those who are there to share the moment. The next holiday season, make sure to keep this in mind. Instead of giving more through gifts, give a little more through love.