Christmas—a time for Hallmark novelties, synthetic spruce trees, Santa-shaped sugar cookies red and green food coloring and most importantly, a time to see your relatives.

As a child, I always enjoyed the idea of having an excuse to meet up with extended family to celebrate a warm and cheery holiday. However, as I have grown older, I’ve begun to think that my extended family views Christmas as an occasion in which feel that they are required to convene and spend time with each other.

It’s not that I object to spending time with my family during Christmas; I love gathering with them and catching up. However, what irks me is that Christmas is the only time during which my family gets together. Christmas shouldn’t be the only time that families take time out of their busy schedules to spend time together.

Family interactions seem to on the decline since people are working longer hours and spend more time using social media. The American lifestyle seems to have shifted from prizing family to cramming as much work as possible into each day. It is discouraging that people have to spend more time working and more time replacing face-to-face interaction with a social networking website.

Although my Christmas gatherings are relatively small, people who have big extended families often attend or host holiday celebrations catering to the majority of the family. Being in a room filled with relatives can be chaotic, since everyone wants to catch up at the same time.

“It can be overwhelming to see everyone all at the same time; it can be hectic,” sophomore Lauren Pataky said.

Freshman Shreya Kanchan also shares Pataky’s view on the overwhelming atmosphere of Christmas when seeing multiple relatives at once.

“It can be crazy to see all of [my relatives] at once, but it is nice to get back in touch with them and see them again,” Kanchan said.

Junior Jenny Guarino said that when she visits her family during Christmas break, her grandmother’s superb cooking skills cause her to consume copious amounts of delicious food. Although visiting her family during Christmas ensures an full and upset stomach, Guarino wishes that she could see her relatives more regularly.

Christmas may result in fine memories of reunion, celebration and good food, but it also shows how difficult it is for families to connect in their fast-paced lives. Seeing family members on Christmas should be an inspiration to make memories with them frequently, rather than only on national holidays.