I went to the mall yesterday to get a few small things and boy was that busy.

On the way to the mall, the first exit had 50 cars backed up on the freeway trying to get off. At first I thought there was an accident. Nope, just holiday traffic. Luckily the second exit had no one.

Once I got there the stores were all busy. Most had long lines, except for Target which had nearly every register open so they could get people though as fast as possible. Smart.

When I tried to leave the mall the traffic was horrible. Cars everywhere, people driving on the wrong side of the street and many drivers that forget what taking turns meant.

On one hand, it’s nice to see that people have the money to go shopping. That’s good for the economy and those business owners that hope to stay open.

On the other hand, why are we buying so much stuff?

We often buy gifts because we feel obligated. We’ll buy some little gadget that the receiver will only use once or twice. We spend so much money and time on things that don’t really matter.

Christmas shouldn’t be about the gifts. Yes, they are nice, but do we need to buy one for everyone we know? Do we need to buy everything just because it’s Christmas?

Maybe a good gift would be staying home and playing games with your kids instead of spending the day at the mall. Or using that money to take a family vacation; even if it’s just for a weekend.

So much focus falls onto gifts or making the prefect Christmas party that it just makes the holidays stressful and overdone. Simplify and realize that it’s about being with family and showing appreciation. It’s about taking time to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

A simple card or saying ‘Thank You’ can go a long way. So why don’t we do more of that and less of the mindless spending?