Making Memories

Although it has been unseasonably warm here in the Midwest, December has arrived and people are gearing up for the holiday season. More and more money will be spent as consumers chase those "perfect" gifts designed to show the recipient just how much the giver loves them. Kids are waiting for with bated breath to see what Santa will bring, hoping they get all the new stuff they asked him to bring.

For many people, shopping during this time of year has become a game. We spend all of our time finding the best deals and weaving in and out of the crowds, looking for that special something that will have our loved one smiling when they open it. We want to give each person the best gift of the year, so the act of giving has even become a competition of who buys the best presents. Shopping can become stressful if you can't find that perfect something for a person on your list (and we have all shopped for that one person who is just hard to shop for).

Is this really what the holiday season means to you? What's the point? We spend so much more time buying gifts for the people we love than we do actually spending time with these people. Many people will buy gifts on credit and the sport of giving puts them into debt. How many of the gifts you purchase actually get used for longer than a month?

What would happen if we actually spent time with the people we love instead of spending all the time shopping for the people we love? What if we didn't give so much stuff, but instead gifted experiences? What if we made memories, instead of going further into debt? How much happier of a season would this become?

We don't have to spend all of our time shopping. We can have dinner parties and go to movies and listen to music and just hang out with the people we care about. We can snuggle up on the couch with the person we love and watch a sappy holiday movie. Give your family the gift of you instead of more stuff that will just end up on the shelf in January. If you really want to give people things, make something for them.

If we want to show people we love them, then we should do it by spending more time with them instead of giving them more stuff. I know I am going to remember the times I have spent with my family and friends much longer than I will remember the gifts they give me each year. We have lots of stuff, but we can never have enough memories. Our memories will last much longer than stuff we normally give and receive. How many memories can you make this holiday season?