“Tis the season to be jolly,” is a common saying as the holidays approach- a time of year for people to get together for peace and love in a community spirit.

Gift giving, family reunions, religious services, and meaningful traditions are what makes this season so festive. During this time, various holidays take place such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, Yule, with many more celebrations spanning different cultures and backgrounds.

Unfortunately, the holidays in our modern world do not share the same festive spirit as they used to. As we become so engrossed in our own concerns, we sometimes forget to take a step back to understand and appreciate the different festivities taking place around us.

The holiday season is all about preserving love and excitement. However, department stores and various popular industries use the season as an excuse to make more dough. The holiday season is a commercial prime time used by a lot of stores and companies, especially with Macy’s slogan; “Explore the best gifts today – Spread Holiday Cheer with Macy’s!” used for their holiday sale. I do not think it is considered “holiday cheer” to buy simple-looking winter coats that range from $110 all the way to almost $200.

Looking at these “sales” makes me question if sentimental gifts even exist. The holiday spirit is hindered from all the meaningless sales and opportunities to purchase an, apparently, perfect holiday gift. This sort of attitude is what really removes the holiday spirit.

Children, especially, get mixed into absurd sales as they circle any desirable items they find through a magazine or catalogue. When children think of the holiday season, they immediately think of presents. This is sad considering that the holiday season is not about presents, but about appreciating what you have and spending time with loved ones. I do not find it very festive for parents to empty out their bank accounts due to their children’s misguided perception of the holiday season.

Festivity is also lost for high schoolers like us. A student’s holiday season is ruined by the weight of semester grades.

All through December, we stress over preparing ourselves for the final exams and fail to really enjoy the holiday season. The lack of sleep, sore throats, and dark circles are common place in the unavoidable stress overload as final exams are haunting us in their approach.

Surely, this is not how one should spend their holiday season. Should this not be “the most wonderful time of the year”? Quite honestly, it feels more like a depressing time, because you probably loaf on the couch, or sit at a table studying while other neighboring families decorate their houses, or sing holiday music.

Parents get lost in the shopping and saving money, while students are lost through their studying and cramming for final exams. Has it come down to the fact that maybe the spirit of the holiday season is lost?

We are so engorged in our own independent worries and responsibilities that the true meaning of the Holidays has been cast away completely. As T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods nicely state, it’s time to “bring back the Holidays.”

I am worried the spirit that represents the holiday season is fading. The spirit that fuels peace, love, and community. Sure, we all go through a tremendous amount of pressure or stress during this time of year, but festive spirits should always be immune to some of the less jolly aspects of the season.