Christmas has become the definition of consumerism. Many people act as if Santa has been around forever. While St. Nicholas has been around for a very, very long time, our current view of Santa was actually created in the 1800s. The amount of toys “Santa” brings every year is not in line the original St. Nicholas but is supporting our need for new items as a society. Christmas in general is getting a bit out of hand. It use to be that the Christmas season would start after Thanksgiving. Now it is starting well before Halloween. I don’t know if this is to make it easier to prepare for Christmas or allow more time to buy items for Christmas. I guess a month is not enough time to consume for a single holiday. On top of that, Black Friday causes massive spending on new products each year, all in the name of Christmas.
I have mentioned this before, but many of my issues with consumerism are not just because they are not sustainable but also because it is teaching my child very bad habits. I don’t want him to think that Christmas is about getting an unnecessary amount of new toys. I would rather him enjoy the giving part of the holiday and the part of spending time with people you care about.
Giving does not have to be unsustainable. You can give people gifts by donating to a charity or reputable non-profit in someone’s honor. You can give people gifts that are fair trade. You can give people used or homemade items, but items they will love. My favorite gift to give someone is a really good book I know they will enjoy (preferably used). I hope we can all start getting away from the consumerism side of holidays and get back to what is more important.
