So many people think of the holidays as a time solely for getting presents. Stores advertise holiday times as being a time for shopping rather than the sacredness of family time at the holidays. This is tearing apart dinner tables and causing millions to spend this magical season worrying about getting gifts and making sure they don’t disappoint someone in their lives if they don’t get them something spectacular.

When you take away the interaction, the experiences, and the irreplaceable moments during the holidays and replace it with disposable items, ultimately it destroys the memories. So many conversations and memories are being abandoned because we are more focused on buying gifts, taking advantage of sales, and all other consumer-based mentalities.

Instead, we need to bring back the importance of being with family, friends, and loved ones and canceling out any distracting factors during the holidays that can be focused around buying gifts that it creates unnecessary added pressure. That’s not what this time of year is about. It’s about enjoying the moments, the unforgettable experiences that you can have with the people you care most about, however that may look.

This year pay attention to the things that are most important: the love, the gratitude, and that thankfulness.