I was reading the Letters to Santa list from a school newsletter a few years ago and came across this particularly interesting letter from a second grader:

“Dear Santa, I want a million dollars and a cheese pizza.”

I’m not one to question the thought patterns of our youth, but still, why ask for something we’ll dispose of rather quickly? Why not provide a challenge for the jolly fellow? Anyone can provide a cheese pizza, and if you are lucky enough at poker, bingo, the stock market or those lottery tickets, you could bring in the million dollars yourself. Let’s face it, unless Rudolph is crapping out gold bricks, Santa isn’t going to have enough dough to provide every child in the world with a TMX Elmo and a million bucks.

When did we get so greedy? All Ralphie wanted in A Christmas Story was a BB gun. We only have 24 hours of his adventure on TV every Christmas Eve to learn if he actually shot out his eye.

The Holiday Season should not be about presents, mass commercialization, or even about you or me. It doesn’t matter if your beliefs include a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger in Bethlehem, or if it includes lighting a menorah and spinning the dreidle. You may sing about three wise men, or you may sing Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song.” You may even celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Canadian Boxing Day or Festivus. Whatever holiday traditions you may have, my point is this: take this time of the year to realize what you have. Be thankful for your family and appreciative of everything they’ve done for you. Don’t feel you have to be driven by materialistic possessions in order to feel rich or successful. You can have all the money in the world and still be the poorest person on earth. Likewise, you may have nothing but the shirt on your back and be the richest man ever. The desire to own the best toys, the need to make success and wealth known through materialistic possessions has allowed the holiday season to many become just a commercialized retailers ball.

Don’t be greedy this year. Take stock in your loved ones. Let them be the best gift you receive this year. Besides, I don’t think Santa can deliver a hot cheese pizza from the North Pole in 30 minutes or less.