What The Holidays Are All About In One Moving Photograph

The holidays are almost over, and if you feel like you’ve sort of missed the point of it this year, then get ready to be reminded.

Looking at the photograph above, you’ll notice a number of everyday items that you can buy at a grocery store. Admittedly, many of them are unhealthy.

(Nutty Bars? Yeah, okay, so they’re delicious, but still!)

But in a true reminder that a picture is worth a thousand words, one Redditor explained the story behind the photograph, and I’ve got to admit: it got me a little misty.

“This is what I woke up to on Christmas after I broke down & told my brother that I couldn’t afford to buy big presents this year since I could barely feed myself.”

Combining the explanation with the pic, it’s easy to see why, while still in the midst of the holidays, that this post would reach the top of Reddit page one.

If you’re like me, you probably spent more hours (and more money) than you should have trying to find “the right gift” for your family members and friends.

That means wondering what they’ll get you, worrying that they will outwit or (worse) outspend you, and then fretting over whether you spent more on one brother than you did the other and, if so, how noticeable the difference was.

Admittedly, this is trivial, meaningless stuff that takes my focus off the true spirit of the holidays, and it’s likely I’m not alone.

But in this post, the Redditor reminds us all that family and friends don’t see the size or cost of the present. They see us. The people they love.

The mental image of a brother hearing a statement like that and then responding in such a manner obviously struck a chord with the rest of the Reddit community.

“I’ve been there. You have a good brother.”

“This post made me a big baby.”

“I love your brother. I did this for my brother a few years back. He was super down and out and it broke my heart to see him like that. Got a bunch of stuff set up for him and dragged him to my inlaws for an awesome dinner with drinks and socializing…. The thank you I got from him, man I can still see his smile. Cheers. merry Christmas Op. You deserve it buddy.”

Heading into the New Year, what moments pulled you out of your commercialism funk and reminded you what the Holidays were all about? Sound off in our comments section.