Nora Brennan, '26
As the holidays approach and more decorations are being put up, everyone is getting into the festive mood. With that, advertisements for useless junk most people don’t need also start to circulate. Originally, the holiday was not meant to be this way. For Christians, it was a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, without any of the trees, gifts or lights that we have today. In the grand scheme of things, the decorating and frenzy that follows started fairly recently creating the traditional image of Christmas that we think of today. Over time, Christmas became less of a holiday to celebrate the religious implications and even less about giving and joy, as some people like to celebrate it.
Christmas has been used as a marketing ploy to gain large profits for companies. Whole new “holidays” have been created just for buying Christmas gifts. Black Friday and Cyber Monday all hook you with deals to buy Christmas gifts at a cheap price. Billions of dollars are made by companies over these special shopping days. They’ve also become ingrained in people’s minds as makeshift holidays, celebrating more of the purchasing aspect rather than the true value of celebrating Christmas.
Movies are another aspect of Christmas that generates money for companies. Christmas is also one of the few holidays that have the holiday as their sole focus. There is even a whole channel of Christmas movies on Hallmark only building the million-dollar Hallmark Christmas movie business. In fact, they make more than 350 million dollars a year for just their Christmas movies.
When you zoom out and consider money across all yearly celebrations and holidays, it’s undoubtedly the most profitable holiday for businesses and the entertainment industry. In 2021, the average family spent $648 on Christmas gifts alone. In total, $1000 was spent on Christmas decorations and food. That’s not even including those who send out yearly Christmas cards to family and friends, which can be an extra $100-$200 alone.
In short, Christmas has become a holiday that entails more spending than any holiday we celebrate each year. While it’s fun to buy decorations and gifts or even to curl up with holiday movies, try to remember that this is not the only aspect of Christmas. Think about spending time with family and friends. Making memories that will last you a lifetime with loved ones and friends will prove to be more valuable than the stuff bought at Christmas time.