Commercialization of the Festive Season
Wrapping up 2020, we entered a new year leaving the festive season behind. Due to the global pandemic, Christmas couldn’t be celebrated the ‘traditional’ way this winter. In order to flatten the curve, restrictions withheld the festive traditions: celebrating with family, enjoying the decorations, exchanging gifts face to face, etc. Nevertheless, Christmas ‘culture’ continued online. Businesses still marketed their Christmas products getting ready for the peak selling season and millions of dollars were spent on decorations and gifts increasing the sales dramatically. Like every other year, the high demand for Christmas goods caused the demand curve to shift outwards. Originally an annual religious and cultural celebration, Christmas evolved into a product of the modern commercial world in the last few decades.
The commercialization of Christmas began in the 19th century with the parallel rise of industrialization and consumerism. Until the industrial revolution, gift-giving was not a significant part of the celebration. Most people spent their resources on food, alcohol and games. The ‘traditional’ celebration consisted of feasts, village gatherings and special masses for the birth of Christ. With the rise of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries, consumerism emerged. With the production of all kinds of goods, it was important for merchants to advertise and sell products. With the ever-growing option of products, the common consumer culture we see today arose. A materialistic culture facilitated by the market led to customers always demanding luxury and consuming limitlessly. Soon enough, Christmas was viewed as a market opportunity rather than a religious celebration. In the late 18th century, manufactured goods started to replace homemade goods. Before industrialization, during the festive season mothers would knit, sew, bake and cook while fathers made carved toys, etc. Homemade gifts were a symbol of care and effort. The price didn’t matter because the time and effort invested by the giver were what determined the value of the gift. Manufactured gifts became more mainstream because they were easily accessible and were a symbol of ‘luxury’. With mass production gift options became broader. With gift lists getting longer and longer, manufactured gifts were much more convenient to buy especially for laborers since it saved the time to make the homemade gift. And relatively to the rise in consumerism, manufactured goods seemed way more appealing than homemade products. Buying the ‘trending’ and ‘luxurious’ gift showed love more than the common handmade gifts. Commerce played a more dominant role in the making of the modern celebration of Christmas in comparison to Christianity.
Today, more time and money is dedicated to the commerce aspect of the tradition such as gift-giving rather than religious celebrations like going to the church. The modern celebration of Christmas is influenced by consumer culture as much as Christianity.
Forbes, Bruce David. Christmas: A Candid History. The Regents of the University of California, 2007.
