Growing Out Of Christmas

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy. Yet according to the American Psychological Association, nearly nine in 10 U.S. adults describe some level of stress this time of year. 43% say that the stress of the holidays interferes with their ability to enjoy them. Whether it's anticipation of family conflict or financial concerns, there is enough evidence to suggest that the holidays are often overwhelming.

As a kid, I loved Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I would track Santa on the NORAD Santa Tracker website, and put out cookies and milk. Unable to sleep due to excitement, I would wake up to stockings full and presents nestled under the Christmas tree. It was magical. But now that I’m an adult and I’m the one helping fill stockings and wrap presents, it’s arguably a whole lot less magical.

Arguably the biggest strength of the holiday season is spending time with loved ones. But is repetitive annual gift giving the best way to show loved ones that you care about them? Something like a family vacation, a trip to the city or just a day of cooking and loved ones is sufficient in my mind to spend time with them. 

Gift giving is important too, as a reward after a long, exhausting year. It’s also a way to let others know that you care about them. However, year after year, it becomes financially draining to buy stuff just for the sake of buying stuff.

The notion that Santa Claus only gives presents if you behave well distracts from the notion of giving gifts and, more so, favors the receiving gifts aspect of the tradition. It may also provide feelings that children aren’t unconditionally loved if they are fearful of getting coal for not behaving their best. According to an article on Happy Family, children rely on their parents to be truthful. It’s how we understand and learn about the world. Continuously telling them lies every year can foster deep mistrust later in life when parental guidance is meant to be a source of security for kids.

An argument against this is that the magic of being young and innocent can be taken away if they don’t experience the tradition of believing in Santa. I would argue that this is not the case, as there’s still wonder in the world to be explored at that age without believing in a heavyset man in the Arctic with a fleet of reindeer. 

At least in America, we spend too much money on Christmas. It’s blatantly obvious that the holiday, at least to the wider world, is not about Jesus Christ; it’s about selling everything imaginable. 

People extend the Christmas season from December into November in the hopes of feeling the comfort that the holiday season is known to provide a little sooner, and corporations take advantage of that “stressful need” to order Christmas presents as soon as possible.

As a kid, I really didn’t understand the amount of effort and planning Christmas takes. Some gifts can be practical, like buying your father a new grill. Yet if you buy the wrong grill due to a lack of expertise, it's a huge problem. Instead of getting people gifts you’ll think they’ll like, it is often more convenient to just ask the person what they want. If it’s not a surprise, then there’s no point in making a big deal of it. Not to mention spending all this money is a huge financial toll on countless families.

This sense of overwhelming capitalism is more apparent anywhere else than in the store of Five Below. You’d think you’d find cheap, affordable gifts in there, but I soon came to the conclusion that everything in that store was a want, not a need. Kinetic sand that looks like nachos. Slippers that look like dinosaur feet. Grinch themed hand wipes. Every single pop culture IP is being sold as merchandise. 

They will sell anything because they know someone will buy it.

I was about to buy a family member a prank gift where a roll of toilet paper didn’t actually pull off the roll, and soon I was sick to my stomach. We are quite literally just buying stuff to buy stuff because that’s the tradition.

Now, a case can be made for children believing in Santa, but after they grow out of it, why not spend the money on a vacation instead? It’ll actually create memories with meaning instead of junk cluttering your house that will warrant a couple of reactions and then you’ll forget about it. I am not saying there is no such thing as good gifts, as maybe your dad really did need that new grill. I am saying that excessive purchasing is abused by the system because they know it works. 

I am tired of making lists of things that will be bought for me when I know I want nothing. In reality, the money could be used more productively, especially if you’re just buying me an ugly Christmas sweater that can only be worn one month out of the year. 

I already have a lot of material stuff in my life, and college tuition is expensive. Let’s just spend time together as a family instead, which is really the main goal anyway.

Instead of buying those yellow socks for my mom this year, maybe I’ll try writing her a poem. Instead of telling my friends how much they mean to me, maybe I’ll write them a story or make a picture collage, or make a video for them on a collective inside joke. Instead of giving my brother a gift card to Raising Cane's, I’ll give him a homemade coupon where we’ll go there together and I’ll pay for him.

I love the holiday season; the atmosphere is wonderful. But when it comes to the repetitive tradition of gift-giving in a format that has nothing to do with the many holidays’ original roots, it gets boring after a while. I want to cherish my loved ones and be cherished, but I cannot deny I am growing out of Christmas.