While Christmas is supposed to be celebrated as a season of gathering and tradition, it has morphed into a period of intense consumption, one that increasingly overshadows the holiday spirit.
As a whole, Americans spent an estimated $600.53 billion in the retail industry in December 2024. According to the Census Bureau’s Monthly Retail Trade Report, Americans have also spent more money in December than in any other month since 1992.
Holiday spending spikes across corporate America as shoppers buy food, decorations and gifts, many of which are unnecessary purchases driven more by expectation and influence than genuine need.
The backbone of this influence is the consumer society that we live in which promotes deriving happiness from buying more goods and linking personal value to material possessions, which in turn drives economic growth through constant spending.
While Black Friday deals and holiday sales have a long history of enticing shoppers, a new, powerful driver of increased holiday consumption is social media branding.
Through influencers and the power of comparison, social media increases the accessibility of comparing yourself to others as users’ feeds are flooded with brand-sponsored displays of extravagant celebrations and gifts.
Social media trends can promote many consumers to purchase new festive decorations each year to keep up with new holiday aesthetics.
Trending holiday decoration themes across social media platforms such as ‘Pink Christmas,” “Ralph Lauren Christmas” and “Rustic Christmas” entail purchasing new decorations to put in their house that look cohesive and fit a certain theme.
Fleeting trends like these can make people reject the normalcy using the same holiday decorations for years, even decades.
Social media also makes people feel like they will miss out on trends if they don’t participate, and marketing strategies exploit this fear in various ways such as limited-time deals.
A recent extreme example is the Starbucks holiday bear cup trend that rapidly spread across social media platforms, originally being sold for 30.00$ USD at Starbucks locations, shoppers quickly rushed to purchase, and the cup sold out across the nation in a mere few days.
In addition to being sold out in-person, shoppers rushed to 3rd-party retailers such as Ebay where the cup was being listed by various resellers for prices ranging from 50.00-300.00$ USD, proving the intense urgency to get the cup that was driven by social media.
This all occurred amid Starbucks labor rights boycotts, which had been ongoing since November and involved Starbucks workers and unions in 10 countries protesting in support of United States workers. Despite this, people still rushed to buy from the company.
Wealthy social media influencers also drive overconsumption by proudly displaying their massive “Christmas hauls” of skincare, makeup, clothing, and gadgets that they purchased or received as gifts
These showcases of items can make viewers feel like they are missing out and need to buy more and ask for more, leading to buying or requesting things they might not actually want or need, which is the basis for our overconsumption crisis. It can also make the gifts they did receive seem less exciting.
I’ve seen this first-hand while scrolling on Instagram, where countless videos declare “Here’s what you should ask for this Christmas” or even, “What are we asking for Christmas this year?”
This messaging implies that people can’t trust their own needs or wants without consulting influencers.
The pattern has significant environmental consequences. The pace of holiday consumption is unsustainable, and many items end up donated, discarded, or sent to landfills shortly after the season ends.
Still, the cycle isn’t impossible to break. While the holidays will always revolve around gift-giving, decoration, and spending money, we can make more mindful choices while doing so.
One step we can rethink is how we give; Reject always giving brand-new gifts, as many items can be repurposed, given second-hand, or handmade.
Many of the gifts I find myself giving to family members are something that I made myself. I often find this to be more meaningful than buying something.
Another thing to consider is that simply spending time with loved-ones can be a meaningful gift.
It’s time to reject the emphasis on new Christmas outfits, wrapping, or decorations every year; when simply reusing and repurposing pre-owned items is not only better for the planet but also more economical.
Even though the holiday season can be overwhelming, and it can be tempting to buy into temporary trends, the meaning of the holiday season isn’t the material items we give and receive; it’s the time spent with loved ones.
