It’s the end of the semester; finals week is upon us. Most students walking around campus are probably consumed with anxiety about final grades or with a numb feeling of relief that the semester is finally drawing to a close. Perhaps anticipation of returning home to a familiar family setting during the break for “the holidays” is enough to pull some of us through. This begs the question: What is the meaning of “the holidays” these days?

Despite the attempts to secularize the “holiday season,” most people’s holiday of choice in this country is still Christmas. This is the holiday every advertisement tells us to buy a gift for. That’s why Santa Claus is in shopping malls, and that’s the holiday most people will be celebrating on Dec. 25 – whether they are religious.

It seems Christmas has become more of a gift-giving festival than anything else, and that’s what the American meaning of the holiday season is. Like the JCPenney commercials tell us, the shape of the holiday season is a gift box. Conversations between people in stores or at my place of employment seem to be focused on the extent of Christmas shopping accomplishments. People seem to beam with pride when they can say they are already done with their shopping. Should I feel ashamed that I haven’t even started yet?

To not leave anyone out of the celebratory and consumer-crazy atmosphere, other holidays are grouped with Christmas and the New Year’s celebration to define the holiday season. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and, to some, the Winter Solstice are some holidays of choice for non-Christians, but these are given little media attention compared with the spectacular tree lighting in Rockefeller Center or the steady stream of Christmas specials on television throughout December. Maybe these other holidays don’t lend themselves very nicely to advertising dollars.

While shopping with my roommate for decorations at a craft store, we noticed only one small rack of Hanukkah merchandise among countless aisles of Christmas decorations and gift ideas. But come to think of it, the amount of Christmas decorations pertaining to Christ’s birth could probably fill the same amount of space as the Hanukkah items. A drive around to look at Christmas lights and decorations on people’s homes leads to similar results. Santa Claus, elves, reindeer, snowmen, candy canes and scenes of a winter wonderland are common themes. It seems religion has little to do with the holiday season these days.

One thing the holiday season is often associated with is depression. BBC Health reported calls to suicide or depression hotlines raise an average of 10 percent during the holiday season. Are people just worried they can’t live up to the expectations of perfect gifts, decorations and parties? Are people suicidal because they feel left out and alone when they don’t celebrate Christmas or have a functional family that mirrors those on Christmas cards?

It seems society puts a great deal of pressure on us to perform during this season, and the media influence is difficult to avoid no matter how much we try. So here’s a Christmas wish: I hope those who don’t celebrate the Christian holiday do not feel oppressed by the constant images of Christmas around the shopping centers, roads, television shows and radio stations. I can’t imagine how annoying that must be. I hope those who celebrate Christmas in a secular manner don’t get too caught up in the gift-buying mania – remember, it’s just material stuff! I also hope those who believe in the religious meaning of Christmas can find some sort of spiritual satisfaction during the holidays, because our cultural traditions only seem to hinder any sense of spiritual growth.

Despite the rampant consumerism and mild depression, I hope everyone can think outside the box and find something other than a gift box to define what “the holidays” means today.

-Gaia Veenis is a journalism senior.

-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.