Growing consumer culture ruins the spirit of the holidays

The turkey has been devoured and the is soon to follow. The chitchat of distant relatives and the laughter of new baby cousins coming together for the first time this holiday season fill the warm atmosphere. This is the time of holiday spirit and family gatherings that only comes around once a year, starting with Thanksgiving and ending with New Years Eve. Unfortunately, increasing consumerism — best represented by spectacles such as and — poses a serious threat to the holiday festivities of the early winter months. Big corporations relish the holiday season. Holiday sales have consistently risen in past years, and they continue to constitute a major portion of retailers’ annual revenue. As a result, retail stores are making sure that this culture of consumerism remains strong. Black Friday has crept up earlier and earlier to the point where most stores now open on Thursday night, when many families are in the midst of their Thanksgiving feasts. Despite this, thousands upon thousands of people still cram into stores to battle for the best deals of the holiday season. Then as December rolls along, the lively music is inevitably accompanied by a constant barrage of commercials.

graphic by Eric Zhong In addition, in recent years, online shopping has boomed. So far this holiday season, online sales are up 14.5 percent compared to just last year, according to the National Retail Federation. This ease of shopping has been a blessing for many but is also one of the reasons why consumerism has taken over the holidays. On every website and in every email inbox, there are advertisements about holiday deals, enticing people to spend their money and find Growing consumer culture ruins the spirit of the holidays

the perfect gift. The holidays have become oriented around material possessions when, though cliché, Christmas is genuinely about more than just and buying. So what’s the problem with rampant holiday sales and endless gift shopping options? The problem is that this aggressive consumer culture detracts from the true value of the holiday season to benefit the big corporations that profit off of holiday gift-buying. We have been conditioned to believe that the value of the holidays comes in receiving bigger, newer, and pricier gifts. While this is great for companies, this materialism takes away from the meaning of the season: spending quality time and building stronger bonds with your friends, family, and faith. The holidays are a time to look forward to being with family, great homemade food, traditions and festivities, and time off from work or school. However, the growing emphasis on a consumer culture in November and December only goes to soil the holiday cheer. Although gifts play a large part in the fun of the holidays, we must not allow the excitement we gain from material possessions to override the joy of being with loved ones. This does not go to say that we should not enjoy the gifts and Secret Santa exchanges, but we must also make sure to value our time spent with friends and family this holiday season. Years from now, we’ll look back to this time of year and reminisce on the priceless memories we made, not the gifts we received.