The Flip Side of Christmas
Are we celebrating greed, overconsumption, and materialism?
The modern celebration of Christmas is associated with a time of joy and giving gifts to our loved ones. But does Christmas “secretly” propel greed and overconsumption, strengthening the core of capitalism and materialism?
The huge shopping sprees and looking forward to being drowned in gifts isn’t really a time of joy but raises some serious psychological and sustainability concerns as the not-so-subtle messaging of capitalism and overconsumption every Christmas bombards us.
Overconsumption (noun): The act of purchasing and consuming excessively, way more than anyone ever needs.
The Jolly Statistics
In 2019, the World Economic Forum reported, “Americans will spend over $1 trillion on Christmas this year.” The New York Times reports, “This season, Americans plan to spend $1,652 on average, which is 14 percent higher than last year, according to the 2023 Deloitte holiday survey.”
In 2023, it is forecasted that the total Christmas spending in the United States will be 1.1 trillion dollars. Christmas spending statistics report, “Many families worldwide are looking forward to spending 156% of their monthly income during the Christmas holiday in 2023.”
