So, it’s almost Thanksgiving break.

It’s time once again to go home, eat lots and lots of turkey, see my relatives and relax.

It’s also time to officially begin the Christmas season. Regardless of what overzealous storeowners think, the holiday season does actually start with Thanksgiving (not Halloween).

I love the Christmas season. It’s by far my favorite time of year.

It’s the season of magic. Observe any small child walking through a toy store and you’ll know what I mean.

We believe that this magic is real during Christmas. Santa Claus really does think we’ve been good, and we know that we’ll wind up with more than just a lump of coal in our stockings. There’s a sense that all of our wishes might come true during Christmas.

The world seems full of warmth and love. People are kinder and more generous, and we show this generosity to everyone we know by giving them presents.

In other words, it’s time to go shopping!

Actually, I hate Christmas shopping because I put it off until the absolute last minute — Christmas Eve. It’s no fun because I have to buy whatever I see first if my family is going to get anything at all.

But Christmas shopping during Thanksgiving break is fun. The hustle and bustle, people running from one store to another, extravagant displays and lit-up shops — you can’t help feeling excited.

Even though the lines are long, just remember — they could be longer. I was in New York City a few years ago on the day after Thanksgiving (the busiest shopping day of the year), and the line at the toy store F.A.O. Schwartz went out the door, around the corner and down the block. Target doesn’t hold a candle to that.

It’s amusing watching people shop. Some people are the die-hard, shop-’til-you-drop kind of people. These are the same people who cut you off and steal your awesome parking spot or wrestle for the last Tickle-Me-Elmo doll.

Other people, like me, are casual shoppers. We roam stores, pausing at anything that catches our eyes, not looking for anything in particular.

We also are the most frustrating people to shop with, because we’re very indecisive, so it takes about 20 hours to buy one present.

I like waking up on Christmas morning, anticipating presents. But honestly, I enjoy giving other people presents more than receiving.

I know people say this all the time, but it’s true. (Memo to my friends: don’t think this means you don’t have to get me anything for Christmas.)

Part of it is the thrill of the chase. Finally finding an appropriate present for my mom, after hours of searching, is a rush. I have outwitted the stores and all of the other shoppers!

The best part of shopping for others is thinking up elaborate gifts, especially for people who are hard to buy for. Presents involving inside jokes and old memories are great because they hold meaning for both the giver and receiver.

One year, I searched art stores throughout the upper Midwest for a picture my mom liked, finally finding it in a calendar and having it matted and framed. Or, during my senior year in high school, I made a tape for my best friend of our favorite songs from junior high.

These were my crowning accomplishments as a gift-giver. They didn’t even cost me that much, but they came from my heart. And the look on their faces was definitely worth the shopping struggle.

Actually, these presents may have meant more to me than to my mom or my best friend because of all the work I put into them.

You can always tell which presents meant something to the person giving them and which were last-minute additions purchased at K-Mart an hour before the gift exchange. (I do this a lot).

It is the thought that matters.

So this year, I’m pledging to get my Christmas shopping done early. I will buy real presents for my friends, not just candy or candles like I so frequently end up doing.

I will plan out my presents and give things that won’t be thrown away or forgotten.

I’ll do my best to avoid giving the exact same thing I’ve given to someone in years past. (I’ve actually done that before.)

And, since this is also a season of forgiveness, no one will hold it against me if I don’t succeed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Sara Ziegler is a sophomore in journalism from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.