Megan Titterington
It might seem that we just entered the spooky season. But this has not stopped shops around the country from stocking their shelves with advent calendars, decorations, and festive chocolate. Big supermarkets are opening the window to order turkeys, GREAT! Movies Classic have brought back their channel which plays Christmas films 24/7, and some people have started shopping for gifts.
But has the excitement surrounding Christmas become a case of hyper-consumerism?
The cost of Christmas
Over the course of a lifetime, the average British person will spend £54,000 on Christmas. This money is spent on buying presents, festive food, and decorating their house for Christmas. It could be argued that this enormous cost is the result of hyper-consumerism.
“we feel obliged to decorate our homes to the extreme”
Hyper-consumerism is defined as the consumption of goods beyond ones necessities and the associated significant pressure to consume those goods. Today, advertising puts a pressure on people to splash out on gifts for family and friends in order to have the ‘perfect Christmas’. Each year, we feel obliged to decorate our homes to the extreme and to create increasingly elaborate Christmas Day feasts. Social media and supermarkets alike suggest that the more money spent during the holiday season, the happier we will be. And, in a time where the rates of depression are constantly rising, we want to find the light during the darkest part of the year.
However, it’s cynical to suggest that these annual costs are unnecessary.
With 80-years-old being the average life expectancy in the UK, £54,000 isn’t as much money as it might sound. It means the average person spends around £675 per year. Of course, not everyone will have that amount of money to spend each year at Christmas, especially with the cost-of-living crisis. But there’s no harm in budgeting to spend a little more during the holidays and treating our loved ones.
Christmas is a time of generosity and celebration. What might be labelled as hyper-consumerism by the media could arguably be individuals and families choosing to celebrate Christmas the way they want to. If someone wants to spend extra money to create their dream Christmas, there’s nothing wrong with that.
What is Christmas about?
When people think about Christmas, it is often the family togetherness traditionally associated with the holiday.
In the classic film It’s A Wonderful Life, we are reminded of the importance of family and community as (spoiler alert) the whole town come together to donate the missing money from George’s bank to save him from arrest. As a result, George realises how much little acts in life can make a huge difference in others’.
In Charles Dickens’ infamous A Christmas Carol — a book every student in the United Kingdom studies at one point in their education — we learn of themes of generosity and compassion. The iconic miser Ebeneezer Scrooge reaches an epiphany about changing his life through the three ghosts of Christmas.
In these traditional Christmas books and films, the themes often focus on the values of family and togetherness. But generosity and celebration are also central ideas.
Having a wonderful time
In his hit song, Andy Williams sings that Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year”. This isn’t an exaggeration on the part of the 1963 song. Whilst Christmas Day is not celebrated by everyone, it has still been reported that it is the happiest day of the year for most people.
“It is undeniable that Christmas is an extraordinary time of the year…”
It might be down to the fact that the majority of people will take annual leave over the Christmas period. Therefore, they have a lot more time to spend with family and friends. It may also be due to the magical festivities that take place during December. Christmas markets, waiting in line to meet Santa, or even the build up to the release of the ever famous John Lewis Chrstmas advert create a national sense of excitement. It is undeniable that Christmas is an extraordinary time of the year which people love to celebrate.
Despite this, every year it’s argued by misers that the Christmas countdown starts far too early. Before Halloween has ended, people are starting to listen to their favourite festive songs and even hanging up a few decorations.
https://www.tiktok.com/@christ.mas.vibesssss/video/7280706539646717227?q=christmas&t=1698262779874
But is the phenomenon of celebrating too early a myth or a miserable reality?
When do the Christmas holidays start?
When I was growing up, my family always insisted it was acceptable to get excited for the festive period after Bonfire Night. Personally, I believe the best time of the year is from Halloween to New Year’s Day and that is a hill that I am willing to die on. Whether it’s wearing cosy jumpers, having seasonal drinks, or getting ready to watch the BEST seasonal film (The Muppets’ Christmas Carol), I absolutely love the run up to Christmas.
“I am excited for Christmas even though it is mid-October.”
It’s true that the holiday season has grown longer over the last 200 years. In the Victorian period, it was common for Christmas trees (a brand new tradition) to be put up late in December. Actually, the annual resurrection of the Christmas tree often took place on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
But, nowadays, some people are ready to deck the halls as soon as Halloween is over. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I believe you can be excited for Christmas no matter the time of the year. As I write this article, I can say that I am excited for Christmas even though it is mid-October.
A year-round festive joy
A really Christmas important memory of mine actually took place one August.
After a decade and a half of living in the same house, my family packed up our belongings and moved to the other side of the country to start a new life. My mum and I were driving up together, when the reality of leaving our entire lives behind us kicked in. I was 16-years-old, just finished my GCSEs, and would be starting my A Levels in a brand new school.
We were moving to a remote area where I didn’t have any friends or established roots. In fact, I didn’t know nobody other than other members of my family. It was the same for my mum, other than starting a new school (of course). Leaving our old lives behind meant we would be starting from scratch.
Whilst this move was something that my mum and dad had planned for many years and were looking forward to, this was something I never wanted. All of us felt really sad. We needed something to lift our spirits.
So, we put on Michael Bublé’s Christmas album.
Such an important moment in my life will always be associated with Christmas, despite it occurring in the middle of the summer. When everything was changing around me, the happiness of the festive season was able to cheer me up. For this reason, I think it’s silly to suggest Christmas joy only exists in December.
The Christmas tree symbolises happiness
For many people, including myself, Christmas is a happy time. It reminds them of togetherness of family and friends, celebrations, and festive silliness. Whilst it is true that Christmas is a massive money maker, (being worth £14 billion to small businesses), it is still a time that brings great joy and happiness.
“Seeing the tree can make us happy…”
It is undeniable that, for a lot of people, the holiday has moved on from its original Christian origins. Similarly, the Christmas tree no longer represents Jesus Christ’s birth and resurrection in most households. Instead, the tree symbolises the holiday season and its appearance in the home often brings the same feeling of joy as Christmas Day itself. Seeing the tree can make us happy during the darkest and coldest part of the year.
So if someone wants to put up a Christmas tree in November, or October for that matter, who are you to complain about it being too early?
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Featured image courtesy of Gaby Dyson via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
