The Flip Side of Christmas

Are we celebrating greed, overconsumption, and materialism?

The modern celebration of Christmas is associated with a time of joy and giving gifts to our loved ones. But does Christmas “secretly” propel greed and overconsumption, strengthening the core of capitalism and materialism?

The huge shopping sprees and looking forward to being drowned in gifts isn’t really a time of joy but raises some serious psychological and sustainability concerns as the not-so-subtle messaging of capitalism and overconsumption every Christmas bombards us.

Overconsumption (noun): The act of purchasing and consuming excessively, way more than anyone ever needs.

The Jolly Statistics

In 2019, the World Economic Forum reported, “Americans will spend over $1 trillion on Christmas this year.” The New York Times reports, “This season, Americans plan to spend $1,652 on average, which is 14 percent higher than last year, according to the 2023 Deloitte holiday survey.”

In 2023, it is forecasted that the total Christmas spending in the United States will be 1.1 trillion dollars. Christmas spending statistics report, “Many families worldwide are looking forward to spending 156% of their monthly income during the Christmas holiday in 2023.”

And Wessex Scene reports: “The average UK household spends 29% more in December than in any other typical month.” The World Economic Forum reports, “1 in 7 Europeans get gifts they don’t want.”

Every year, Christmas fuels the act of purchasing more than we need. Even though a lot of families can’t support their basic needs most of the months, they still plan to spend much more than their monthly household income on Christmas.

Investopedia reported that “2023 Christmas spending is set to reach between $958.3 billion (USD) and $966.6 billion (USD) in 2023, which is up by 3% to 4% over 2022.” This is because many people have adopted the idea that the “true spirit” of Christmas is getting the “newest and shiniest” stuff.

These unhealthy spending habits around the holiday season come from the underlying message of Christmas, which tells us that we need to show our love and care through gifts. This influenced act is a manifestation of uncontrollable materialism.

Materialism (noun): The collective prioritization of material possessions and wealth over spiritual, moral, and cognitive values.

Gifts Over All

On Christmas, most people look forward to the materialistic gifts they’ll receive rather than spending quality time with their family and loved ones.

Wessex Scene states, “Although it is true that we may want to show our loved ones our appreciation for them in the form of gift-giving, surely the sheer volume of items that we are purchasing are not necessary to achieve this.”

A writer in The Guardian wrote, “I know my two young children have enough — more than enough — of everything.” He continues, “If the most sustainable choice is a gift not manufactured, not transported, not purchased, not wrapped, not opened, not sent to landfill, or discarded in some toy box, why do I seek to find ways to fill up my children’s Christmas lists?”

Living in the US for years, I always observe most people my age dreading Christmas because they are forced to spend time with their parents and toxic family members. Yet, the thought of getting gifts keeps them going. This insatiable lust for gifts and materialistic purchases is ultimately fueled by greed.

Greed (noun): An intense desire for materialistic possessions and wealth.

A Dopamine-Fueled Holiday

Christmas influences excessive spending and overbuying. Over-shopping and giving/receiving gifts is euphoric because our brain releases dopamine.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward system. This chemical reaction involves our pleasure-seeking behavior with the joy of giving and receiving gifts.

On the one hand, the “helper’s high” explains the satisfaction of giving gifts and waiting for our loved ones to open our gifts. On the other hand, the excitement of waiting to receive gifts creates a ripple effect of joy, which explains the feeling of “Christmas spirit.”

The psychology of Christmas shopping and gifts is evident in how advertisers use “Christmas spirit” to influence overconsumption, but remember, this behavior can lead to a distorted sense of fulfillment and ultimately affect our psychology negatively.

The joy of the holiday season becomes more about the gifts rather than meaningful connections. This unhealthy behavior is evident in a child’s anticipation for Christmas just because of the gift received, which demonstrates how the holiday season excessively promotes consumerism.

Consumerism (noun): The excessive focus in buying and consuming goods.

The Not-So-Merry Environment

We often don’t think about the serious effects of overconsumption and consumerism on the environment. That’s because we never take a break to think about how these goods are made and what they are made of.

The negative effects of overconsumption and consumerism on the environment are so immense that, at this point, it may be irreversible. The intense shopping sprees, excessive packaging, and disposable goods contribute significantly to environmental degradation.

A researcher wrote, “When you consider the amount of resources — water, land, carbon emissions — and underpaid, exploited human labor that goes into goods that are often simply landfill-bound, it is hard not to be horrified.”

Wessex Scene also reports, “It’s not just clothes — electronics are also a major contributor. Material Focus estimates that 5 million unwanted electrical items will be thrown away or hoarded after Christmas, and with the problem of e-waste piling up year after year (54m tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2019), this can no longer be ignored.”

Even the trees we purchase every year on Christmas have a negative effect on the environment. A writer reports, “Live Christmas trees take about 12 years to grow, and that’s water and other resources that are being devoted to a tree that will eventually end up in a landfill.”

LeMonde reports, “The holidays are no gift for the climate. During this season, the French emit nearly 6.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), or 1% of all annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).”

Imagine the mass effect of holidays when you combine all the countries that celebrate Christmas and New Year with gifts, trees, disposable things, and traveling back and forth. Driven by profits and never-ending consumption, Christmas exploits natural resources and hurts the environment very badly, which is the harsh reality of capitalism.

You might read about the mental health effects of Christmas and New Year from an article by Dr Yildiz titled “The Most Joyful Time of the Year Is Associated with Increased Suicide Rate, Paradoxically.”

Capitalism (noun): The economic system that’s controlled by private ownership, competition, and profits.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Christmas is originally rooted in the religious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; however, it has been overshadowed by an insatiable thirst for expensive materialistic possessions, overbuying stuff, and showing off our wealth.

Religious leaders and thinkers have also questioned the morality of the over-commercialization of Christmas. There’s even a theory that how Christmas is celebrated in our society aligns with one of the deadly sins — greed.

Moreover, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ by indulging in overconsumption, harming the environment, and ignoring the millions of people in need, including homeless children starving and freezing out on the streets, completely defy the spirit of Christmas, which is compassion and generosity.

We must also realize that the strategic timing of Christmas at the end of the year is very beneficial for many businesses and the economy. This leads to stores clearing out their shelves and depleting stocks, which ultimately raises questions about whether the holiday primarily serves kindness in religious contexts or capitalistic interests.

“In many cases, holiday buying habits are driven by a need to meet imagined expectations, an attempt to bring happiness to loved ones,” a writer states in an article titled “How to save Christmas from consumerism.”

As Mahatma Gandhi wisely stated, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

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Thank you for reading my story. I wish you a Merry Christmas.

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