Christmas is a holiday that a many look forward too as the year comes to a close. A time to relax, and spend time with family and friends, additionally being a much needed break from the worldly stressors of life. No need to think about work or school or any problems that may be forthcoming: just focus on the now. Though in reality, there is one aspect of the holiday season that tends to hold the most importance when it comes to Christmas.

When posed with the question more often than not, many people’s top priority when it comes to the holiday is what gift they may receive. People make lists of what they desire to find under the tree, with society even creating a character to deliver said gifts, and additionally developing a “holiday” to provide consumers with deals and an outlet to prepare for the gift giving culture that the holidays have created in modern society.

What led to this matter occurring? Why has society shifted it’s time away from quality time and towards the quantity of gifts one received?

While gift giving as a concept during Christmas-time has existed for centuries, and many hold the belief that the tradition was rooted in the tale of the Three Wise Men, society has recently began to see a shift in how these goods are gifted around the holiday. What was once a custom with wholesome intentions and intent became one that closely mimicked the post war boom of capitalism in the western hemisphere, especially for children.

This concept was then further accelerated by the popularization of Black Friday, a “holiday” that asks consumers to spend their hard earned cash on “once in a lifetime” deals that can help offset the cost of Christmas gifts for the average middle class consumer.

These deals in turn begin to inflate the idea that Christmas is all about what one gives another, as people start to harbor the mindset of gift giving  from what to do with each other on Christmas, to allocating how many items and what each person will receive as a gift on the holiday. An act that can be seen as a benefactor towards large corporations, and against the core values of Christmas.

Additionally, due to the diminishing economy caused by the fact that people nowadays have had less societal oppurtunity due to factors like hyperinflation and the cost of housing rising, many Americans are unable to gift as many gifts as they once have. In fact, a survey conducted by WalletHub found that 34% of those surveyed chose to forgo material gifts all together. 

If society holds a desire to focus less on material goods, and more on quality time, then there becomes a need to address the root problems as a country on a wholehearted scale, as it has been seen to increasing affect each aspect of the daily life of a modern citizen.

The holidays should be a time to spend time with loved ones and more people should be open to the fact.