Elizabeth Sorrell
It’s a cliché but Christmas is a magical time of the year. The goodwill of the people is at an all-time high; the lights and ornaments glisten until you forget that it’s the darkest time of the year. One of the most enjoyable parts of Christmas is looking for that perfect gift for everyone you hold dear. However, there are a multitude of reasons why Christmas can’t be (and shouldn’t be) as stuff-oriented as it is.
2020 Vision
The average family in England spends 29% more in the run up to Christmas than their usual monthly spending. That’s equivalent to an extra £740 to pay for clothes, furniture, and specialist foods. Following Brexit, staggering job insecurity and the looming possibility of calling off family gatherings again, £740 just for Christmas feels less and less feasible. Of course, 2020 saw a decrease in spending in Britain. 1 in 8 didn’t see the point of splashing out during the winter lockdowns.
An elegantly decorated tree with dozens of wrapped gifts underneath may not be possible this year for many families. With poverty (and the threat of it) over more of us than ever, even adults are hoping Santa hasn’t forgotten about us.
Many of us will have to dematerialise this Christmas out of necessity. But, even if consumerism is possible for your family, is it actually desirable? The urgency to go green for Christmas only becomes more and more urgent by the year. I, for one, feel the pang of guilt when I carry those bin liners of wrapping paper to the bin.
Going Green This Christmas?
Although pretty wrapping paper, a roast turkey, and Christmas crackers may be popular, Christmas is a wasteful time of year. From single-use packaging to uneaten food to £42 million worth of unwanted presents ending up in landfill, we produce 30% more waste than any other time of year.
There are many ways to go green for the holidays. Ditching Christmas cards, going veggie for the day or reusing wrapping paper are all a good start. We can buy our gifts locally rather than ordering off Amazon, we can be more cognisant of what our families will actually eat and use the leftovers instead of throwing them away. In the broadest sense, the best thing we can do to help the planet and our purses is to hold back on the materialism that comes along with Christmas celebrations.
It’s a difficult prospect to internalise: how are we going to make Christmas work without a proper dinner? Will my family and friends resent me for not getting them a present? Will it even feel like Christmas without the tinsel and snow spray? These are not frivolous worries, Christmas is often the best opportunity to show your nearest and dearest how much you love and appreciate them. Many people do not see their families often and want to make the most of their time together; that includes making a winter wonderland out of your home and guaranteeing a food coma. From personal experience, I can answer this question.
A Big Christmas Shift
My family split in half on Boxing Day when I was 9 years old. In one night of frustration and confusion, my sister and I became the kids with two Christmases to the kids with one parent. Within a year, the glamour and glitz of Christmas hit a 50% decrease. I can still remember so clearly the yuletide celebrations on my dad’s side of the family: an enormous tree in front of my aunt’s living room door, presents sprawled across the living room floor, and a feast that would give Oscar Wilde a run for his money in terms of luxuriance. All the quirky winter traditions that every family has were lost to a house that I could no longer call my home (as well as half of my worldly possessions).
That being said, I still have no ill memories of Christmas; my time in a single-mother household hasn’t given me a Tiny Tim complex. My sister and I didn’t feel the absence of anything we lacked during the festive season. We may not have had everything that constitutes a successful Christmas but we still received thoughtful loving gifts and spent the day celebrating with the ones we loved the most. The classic memories of grandparents falling asleep in front of the TV and infuriating board games are still with me.
Do We Need This Much Stuff?
Even though our Christmases were more modest, they didn’t mean any less. I’m not going to end on the clichés that ‘Christmas is about family’ or ‘it’s the Christmas spirit that counts’. I don’t know what the meaning of Christmas is and each household celebrates Christmas for different reasons. However, I don’t think the masses of landfill waste or closets of unwanted nick-nacks are what makes Christmas so beloved.
Dematerialisation doesn’t always mean tragic deprivation and maybe it’s what all of us should be doing!
Featured image courtesy of Kira auf der Heide via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to the image.
