As of today, it has been 13 days since Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day where many give thanks for the things in life we appreciate and are thankful for, such as family, financial status and possible materials, such as a house or car.

After our day of being thankful, however, comes Black Friday — a day where Americans lose all sense of direction, a day for everyone to go into a blind panic to fight and get the things they want for a reduced price.

Now, less than two weeks after Black Friday, there are even more deals offered to pressure people into getting the material things they want or ones they can give to others as Christmas presents.

Amazon is having “12 Days of Deals” promotion along with many other stores having “holiday deals” saving consumers “up to (fill in the blank with percentage) off!”

Amazon’s 12 Days of Deals is a promotion that started at the beginning of December and announces a new section given the deals each day. Yesterday, day 3 of the 12 days of deals, was toys. Select toys are discounted and promoted to show the consumer what exactly they might be missing.

Between online shopping and many stores showing off deals consumers can’t pass up, it is very easy for people to gather far more than they ever would need.

If you don’t know already, items sold in major stores are made for far less than they are sold for, including price of shipping, labor, materials and any other hidden fees. For example, TOMS shoes are typically sold for around $60 in stores. These shoes are made for roughly $3 to $5 per pair. So, how is it that a 20 percent discount on $44 to $68 make it feel fair?

Holidays should not be an excuse to break our bank accounts for things we don’t need or an excess of things. Finding just one present per family member is more than enough to show them you appreciate them and have been thinking about them.

This holiday, we all should go back to appreciating those we care about in more ways than giving them things. Yes, as much as they probably appreciate you giving them a gift by which you thought they would like when you saw it, it is so much more important to think about that person and not try to buy them everything in the world.

The most important things in life don’t have a price and can’t be bought.