On the Christmas/consumerism debate

The encroaching Christmas season has meant that the slew of holiday sales and hordes of shoppers rise from the woodwork. The opening scene from Krampus, a Christmas comedy/thriller, comes to mind, with a stampede of consumers storming their local mall, fighting tooth and nail over the last stuffed animal, toy car, Barbie does Christmas line, etc… (If you even really want to truly get to know someone quickly, take them to Neiman Marcus the day after Thanksgiving).

I find that, around this time every year, people like to get up on their high reindeer and get a little moral about how mass consumerism has ruined the spirit of Christmas. Some of these articles talk about how Christmas is only good for making memories (poor folks with Alzheimers), the only real way to enjoy Christmas is with family rituals (thanks Financial Times for that slice of truth pie, now I want some real pie), and how consumerism is literally killing Christmas.

The “decaying” effect of consumerism has become a Christmas tradition itself. As outlined by this article published by Quartz, a discourse analysis has revealed people have been worrying about this “decay” since the mid-40’s…in the 1800s. (Another piece of evidence suggesting that this elusive Christmas spirit is really nothing but nostalgia for something we have never really experience in our lifetimes BUT that’s for a different blog).

However, the real crux of the question in my mind is - do all these musings really matter? These people, who are spewing off their moralistic attitudes while (probably) sipping on slightly different variations of Starbuck’s ultra spiced and nutty nutmeg latte, are missing the point. I would rather like to read articles about the amazing dietary benefits of ONLY drinking spiced nutmeg for the entire 31 days of December. If that’s not available then I’d settle for advice on how I could cut back on consumerism during the holiday season (including getting purchasing gifts, decorating, not overpaying on ingredients while cooking overindulgent foods).

While the yearly incantations of moral superiority tend to drown out any practical advice, the growing “minimalist movement” could provide some useful answers (not like the “just don’t participate in Christmas” article). The movement seeks to encourage more mindful consumerism as part of daily life, but particularly around the holidays. Particularly when, according to the Nationwide Building Society, people in the UK tend to spend half their paychecks during the month of December.

This type of consumerism does not mean that the consumer opts out of the economy and celebrating holidays but instead chooses to buy products that are more within his or her monthly budget. This is actually good for the economy as it reduces the number of non-performing loans, particularly around the holidays, as well as increases the amount of disposable income per person - meaning that money would just be diverted from the retail sector to other areas. As the minimalist consumerism emphasizes a more DIY approach to gifts and life in general, chains such as US stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael's could see a boost in profits as a result.