As holiday decorations light up the streets, another type of glow appears on our phone screens — one that encourages us to spend more money. We’ve allowed shopping to overshadow the true spirit of the holiday season. It seems that as soon as Nov.1 arrives, holiday sales and ads flood our screens. But at what cost?
Gift-giving is great; who doesn’t love finding the perfect present? But when every corner of social media, TV, and store windows shouts “buy, buy, buy,” it’s easy to forget that spending isn’t what the holidays are about.
Every year, companies use Christmas as a marketing tool to get people to buy their products. The commercialization of Christmas seems to start earlier each year. This year, stores like Kohl’s had holiday displays up before November even began. And it’s not just them. Walk through any store, and you’ll see holiday decorations competing for attention well before Thanksgiving.
With so many retailers pushing sales, it’s clear that shopping dominates the season. According to the National Retail Federation, “Holiday retail sales in the U.S. reached a record $964.4 billion in 2023, growing by 3.8% over the previous year.” The goal for stores is clear: increase those numbers every season.
This push isn’t limited to in-store shopping. Cyber Monday, which was introduced by the National Retail Federation in 2005, was created to encourage more online shopping after Thanksgiving. According to Investopedia, “The idea was to give people a reason to shop online after a weekend spent browsing stores.”
The goal was to offer huge discounts and promotions to capture online shoppers, and it succeeded. Adobe Analytics reported that total online sales on Cyber Monday 2023 were $12.4 billion in the U.S. This holiday now drives billions in digital sales, with numbers increasing each year, making the Monday after Thanksgiving one of the biggest online shopping days.
The holidays are supposed to be about joy and family connection. Yes, gifts can bring joy, but they also bring stress as everyone scrambles to find the perfect present and the money to buy it. This pressure contradicts the joy the holidays are supposed to bring.
The holidays should offer relief — a break from work pressures, school stress and exams. Why add more pressure to buy gifts when we should simply enjoy being with the people we love?
Not everything has to cost a lot to bring happiness. Simply spending time with family, watching a Christmas movie or baking cookies can make holiday moments feel special and memorable without a price tag.
Instead, we often focus on what’s under the tree. But how about focusing more on the people around it? Think about it: what will you remember ten years from now — the gift you got for Christmas or the time you spent with your family?
Before getting wrapped up (literally!) in sales, let’s remember what the season is about. Presents are great, but the presence of family and friends is what we’ll cherish long after the decorations come down.
