Tis the season to be… greedy? Not exactly what you want to hear, right?

Well, let’s face it, while the winter holiday season can indeed be one of the most cheerful, fun, and cherished times of the year, we have to admit that our desire for more new things dramatically increases as December approaches.

Even if your family isn’t religious or doesn’t celebrate Christmas traditions, most people tend to designate winter as the gift-giving season.

While this isn’t entirely a negative thing, the magnitude of Black Friday deals and our expectations for getting exactly what we want has come to an unreasonable level in our society.

Let’s start with the madness that ensues on what we call Black Friday. Only hours after we gather with our families and friends to celebrate and give thanks for the things we have, we find ourselves scavenging the local malls in a free-for-all just to get that BOGO (Buy One Get One) deal.

Where did this mentality originate? The desire to save money: to have something simply because it costs less than it would on any other given day.

This obsessive mindset isn’t healthy. Yet every year, companies make their deals bigger and start them earlier. With Black Friday, people seem to easily miss the meaning of thankfulness altogether.

As young adults growing up in such a materialistic society, it’s almost impossible not to get caught up in the commotion of name brands and nice things.

As high schoolers are struggling to make money, it’s that much more tempting to view the holidays as a time for getting those things we’ve had our eye on.

Yes, we all do this. I’m guilty of it every year. Secret Santas at school, ‘Friendsmas’, and family gift exchanges are all opportunities to give and receive, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s when that desire turns into a regular feeling that this materialistic mentality becomes too much.

We are growing up in a world where the money and objects we have hold more value than the things we accomplish and the people we know. And we base our success off of the quality of our clothes and cars and Instagram posts.

Growing up in this type of society is taking a toll on us as we live our lives striving to obtain things rather than happiness because we’re stuck thinking that these things will provide us happiness and worth. However, if more people would shift their energy from selfishness to selflessness, we’d be living in a much happier and accepting society.

It’s not all that bad to have nice things, but when your priorities for gaining new and better things take center stage, it may be time to reexamine your priorities.

I’m not here to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be thinking or doing. So, it’s for you to decide what holds the most value in your life.