This Is Why You’re Doing The Holiday Season Wrong
And what we can all do to make
Confrontation time: How many of us have racked up a deep, shameful, buyer’s remorse amount of credit card debt while holiday shopping? Don’t worry, I’ve done it too. There is one single embarrassing reason why I have, too:
The things I purchased for people were to fill space beneath the Christmas tree. That’s it.
Retail and tv commercials have done a wonderful job of manipulating us. They tell us we need to walk into a living room full of stuff we don’t need.
“Retail promises the perfect Christmas, but ruins it instead.” — Joshua Becker
Take a moment to think about all of the holiday gifts you’ve received. How many did you keep out of guilt knowing it was a gift, even though you knew you would never use it?
Let me alleviate some of the pressure you might be facing:
- Focus on saving your money instead of stressing about it. Inflation was a financial plague for all of us this year. Don’t make it worse on yourself by spending money on something that is either likely to get returned or donated within six months. Your loved ones want to spend time with you this holiday season, they don’t want you to spend your money. If they want you to do the latter, maybe it’s worth some reflection on your relationship with that person. Maybe some boundaries need to be established. The ones who truly, unconditionally love you want to spend time making lifelong memories with you, and nothing more.
- Your gift is very likely to be returned, anyways. 53.1% of people report receiving an unwanted holiday gift. Of those gifts, most of them are clothing. If you and your loved ones can’t avoid spending money on each other, perhaps limit it to one item per person and create the gift-giving portion of the day into a game. Yankee swap and secret Santa are both very fun, and you can set spending limits! This eliminates guilt for everyone involved. Or better yet, if you feel compelled to buy something, make it food! Make your favorite holiday treats to give to everyone in little goody bags. Everyone loves food, right?
- What if you can’t spend time with those you love? If you can’t spend time with those you love the most this year because of time constraints or distance, I encourage you to write them a heartfelt letter! If your loved ones are anything like me, maybe they’ll end up keeping the letter forever in a box of treasures and memories to read in the future. We as writers know what the power of words put into sentences can do for ourselves and our readers — your family members will react the same way to your beautifully constructed thoughts, too! ❤
The holidays are for family, traditions, and making heartfelt, cozy memories together that last a lifetime! I personally look forward to making my sitto’s (arabic for grandmother) baklava and giving it to my family and friends before the holiday arrives. It’s my little tradition in the kitchen that makes me feel close to my loved ones who have passed. I make the same baklava that she made, with the same ingredients, all with my favorite classic holiday hits playing. ❤
Remember most importantly, don’t make the holidays about stuff. I personally believe we need to be making an effort to get rid of excess stuff, not bring more of it in.
If you enjoy reading my work, please consider becoming a member by clicking this link and creating your own stories for other readers like myself! We all have unique experiences to share, and there’s always someone who finds meaning in your story. I also receive some love from each referral made!