When I was in my mid 20s, I dated a girl that would always fall asleep watching Nick at Night. Oftentimes, I would wake up the next morning, well after she had left for work, of course, and turn the TV on just to be appalled at what I would see. The commercials that would air on this network were some of the most manipulative media that I could ever remember seeing. Whether it was an action figure, a video game, or a toy for an IP that I had never even heard of, the marketing was designed to not only make the kids feel like they NEEDED these things being advertised, but also implied that their parents were withholding the toy from them. I remember joking that the commercial may as well have told the kid that his parents do not love him if they don’t buy that toy. Then I remembered—I was one of those kids being sucked right into this marketing campaign just 15 short years ago.
Why do I bring this anecdote up? Well in a time with sky high inflation, economic uncertainty, and an all-around negative attitude toward the direction of this country, we are on pace to set the record for money spent Christmas shopping. How?
I should probably share what my Christmas experiences were like as a kid before I get into this, otherwise people might think the Grinch hacked my page and wrote an Op-Ed. I was very fortunate to always have Christmas presents under the tree as a child, and I have plenty of memories surrounding the fun I had on Christmas morning. What I was not privy to however, was all the hoops that my paycheck-to-paycheck parents had to jump through to make sure that I was able to everything that was on my Christmas list that year. I didn’t know about utility bills, or mortgages, or car payments. I knew there was a new Ninja Turtles toy out there, and if I didn’t have it, life wouldn’t be complete. That’s it, that’s all I knew—because I was 7. I didn’t know any better.
If I could go back in time, I would tell them not to get me all these things, most of which I would forget about within a month of unwrapping them. I still have board games at my parent’s house that are still in the plastic. I think I can say with relative certainty that they may have overbought a couple years.
And don’t even get me started on adults buying Christmas gifts for one another. If times are good, great! Go spend your money how you see fit. But if you find yourself in a pinch during the holiday season, I’m fairly certain your partner/friend/coworker will understand not receiving an expensive knick-knack this year, and if they don’t, that’s probably a relationship that needs to be re-evaluated.
To me, it’s a question of priorities. Times are hard for most Americans right now. Over half of us are one pothole away from an economic disaster. Yet somehow, we managed to find time to spend the most money EVER while Christmas shopping.
Consumerism is a tricky beast, I suppose.
Only 1/3 of Americans say they intend to spend less on Christmas gifts this year, and it’s worrisome to think about where this could leave people come the beginning of the new year. It’s easy to get swept up in the emotion of the holiday and lose track of the fact that we are headed toward another interest rate hike in January. Also, the price of most basic goods has shown no indication of slowing down or reverting to the pre-pandemic prices. Oh, also, more and more economic experts are joining the chorus that we are likely headed to a recession in 2023.
There is an inordinate amount of pressure that we put on ourselves to find the perfect gift for the people we love. I often times hear people talking about their experiences braving different stores looking for that one toy that’s sold out everywhere else. I can’t help but think back to the Schwarzenegger movie “Jingle all the Way.” In that movie, Arnold and Sinbad go back and forth in some of the most over the top scenes that you will view in a Christmas movie.
All out brawls between parents ensue as they seek out one of the last remaining Turbo Man dolls. At the end of the movie (spoilers for a 20+ year old movie), Arnold does get his hands on one of the dolls, but his kid sees exactly what he went through to give him the present he wanted, and decides to gift the toy to Sinbad so he can enjoy his Christmas too.
It’s a fantastic message and something that I think has grown more prescient today. This may be an example of too little, too late, but be sure not to lose sight of the true meaning of this time of year. And I don’t mean this from a religious perspective.
I mean this as someone who isn’t going to go home to spend this time with friends and family. I mean this as someone who has lost family members suddenly and can say from personal experience that you don’t know when you are celebrating your last Christmas with someone until after you have celebrated your last Christmas with someone.
Enjoy this time with the people you love. The stuff will come and go. I can tell you from personal experience, if I opened 7 presents on Christmas instead of 12, it still would’ve been some of the most exciting and memorable times that I had as a kid, and I’m willing to bet that the same thing would hold true in your family too.
Stay safe and warm this weekend. Merry Christmas from me and everyone else in the Outside the Box family (which is just me).
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