The holiday season is meant for being with family and friends and taking time to recognize all that we are thankful for. Unfortunately, the meaning of the season seems to become lost for many people.

Just hours after Thanksgiving, a holiday specifically dedicated to recognizing all the things we are grateful for, people make the mad dash to get the best deal shopping during Black Friday and now even Black Thursday.

It is no secret they we live in a materialisic world. We are obsessed with not only having things, but wanting more things. While we are create our Christmas list, it can be easy to forget what the holiday season is all about.

Luckily, there are people that remind us what the season is about, whether they are the people standing outside grocery stores or corners ringing bells in the bitter cold to raise money for the Salvation Army or volunteering at a soup kitchen. Performing good deeds during the holiday season reminds us that it really is better to give than receive.

Every year, around Christmas, I visit local nursing homes with my grandma who is a member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society at my parish, St. Juliana.

We deliver poinsettias and Christmas cards made by students at St. Juliana grade school. We are then able to spend time talking with the elderly people.

Seeing how happy these elderly people are when we spend a few minutes of our time with them is one of my favorite parts of the season. Dedicating a couple of hours of my time to serve others is a way that I remind myself what the season is all about.

Regina offers many opportunities to perform good deeds during the holiday season. Beatrice Phelps, Regina’s campus minister, has organized the food drive, coat collection, and the Giving Tree.

Throughout the month of November, students were able to bring in nonperishable foods for the Thanksgiving food drive. All of the food collected was donated to a Catholic Charities food pantry in Des Plaines, and benefitted people that could not afford it otherwise.

Students have also had the opportunity to bring in gently worn coats for the coat collection, which will benefit a local shelter, and help people keep warm during the winter season.

The Giving Tree is a way for students to buy necessary items for people in need, such as hats, gloves, and socks. Students can pick a paper leaf off the Christmas tree, which has the person’s name, their age, and an item they will need to bring in. Then, the donated items are given to needy families that the Regina community sponsors.

“The idea of giving of ourselves, our time, and material possessions really reminds us of what God does for us everyday. Giving during the holiday season is a way for us to prepare spiritually and psychologically for a greater realtionship with God,” said Phelps.

“It is really important to think about other people during the holiday season because not everyone is as lucky as us,” said Lauren Murphy ’17.

There are many ways to get involved in your community as well. Emma Ellis ’15 participates in a toy drive in her church community every Christmas. “St. Gertrude’s, my parish, collects Christmas presents to give to people that cannot afford them every year. It makes me feel good when I donate, because I know that I am making someone’s Christmas better,” said Ellis.

“Performing good deeds, especially during the holiday season, is very important because it can help to make everyone’s holidays happy,” said Kelsey MacBain ’17.