Victoria Silman | Assistant News Editor
Featured Image: Many people love the holidays, but abhor the obligation to spend money they don’t have on gifts for loved ones. | Courtesy of Pexels
Picture this: you’re walking through the mall, skipping to the jolly beat of Christmas music, and passing other shoppers with smiles on their faces. You walk past the ‘Photos with Santa’ display in the centre-most point of the mall, and feel joy in watching the faces of cheerful children smiling as they meet their idol.
Maybe you’re feeling generous and you pop a $5 bill into the Salvation Army donation box, next to the man happily ringing the sleigh-bells in his hand.
After navigating the overpopulated, snowy parking lot, you finally head home—perhaps you sit in traffic a little longer than usual. That’s all fine, though, because it’s the holidays.
You arrive home, hands full of gifts for your loved ones. You can’t wait to sit down by the Christmas tree, throw on Jim Carrey’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and conceal them with beautiful wrapping paper. Your family will love the things you bought for them—they do every year. You just happen to have a knack for finding the perfect gift.
Then you check your bank statement.
Your heart begins to race, and your palms start to sweat, as you realize you’ve spent way more than you budgeted for. You’ll have to make up for it in the new year, where your part-time, minimum wage job will be cutting hours because everyone else is in the same boat as you—they can’t afford to go out and buy more things.
The holidays are a stressful time for some people. The joy of shopping is a myth to many, and the idea of having to buy gifts in an overcrowded mall is something that brings great anxiety to even myself—someone who actually enjoys the holidays.
From eggnog and rum, to Christmas trees, department store Santas, and red and green draped over all things possible, what started as a religious holiday has taken on commercial significance. Entrepreneurs, marketers, consumers, and even children have all played a role.
Walk into Yorkdale, and you’ll likely see all the things listed above, next to the droves of people lining up outside expensive stores to spend their hard-earned money.
Granted, the holiday spirit is nice, and spending time with your loved ones is equally so, but the financial burden it has on your wallet is a severe symptom of the holiday blues. Many people dislike the holidays for this reason, expressing their distaste in the commercial aspects: the obligation to buy and give gifts—consume, consume, consume.
In 1995, gift giving made up $37 billion USD of the American economy. According to recent reports, Americans spent roughly $602 billion on gifts in 2013. If that seems like a high number—it is. In comparison to the rest of the year, some percentages show that the holiday actually makes up for almost 70 per cent of the entire year’s profits for some stores.
Manulife Bank released a report recently, which found 60 per cent of Canadians are willing to go into debt for the holiday season. Furthermore, only four in 10 people will actually budget for their holiday spending, and 54 per cent of those can expect to exceed their budget.
Rick Lunny, president and CEO of Manulife Bank says the financial burdens of Christmas place strain on the emotional wellbeing of Canadians. “It’s clear that Canadians are overwhelmed both financially and emotionally when it comes to the holiday season,” he said.
The effect is the “remorse over their purchases come January. It really speaks to getting a hold of your debt situation in advance of your purchases,” he continued.
For students, who often have less money due to student loans, and only part-time jobs that pay minimum-wage, the holidays can be especially stressful. For Ashwati Krishnan, a third-year psychology student, the holidays present some financial burden, because of the necessity to spend on gifts.
“Money is a big issue because it gets really expensive. You have so many people to think about when shopping for gifts. The worst part is how much money I end up spending,” Krishnan says.
Not only is money an issue, but so is the overcrowded shopping centres. Raed Baker, a second-year business human resource management student, says: “I don’t like how every store is so busy and crowded during the holiday season. Christmas shopping is the worst!”
Perhaps an even more noteworthy aspect of the holidays is the over-consumption next to those who are in need. Donation boxes start popping up everywhere, from grocery stores, to the stands the Salvation Army sprinkle throughout places which feature heavy foot-traffic.
According to Food Banks Canada, 335,944 people received assistance in Ontario during 2016. Of those people, 33.4% were children. Last year, the Toronto Star reported food bank usage was at the same levels as the 2008 recession. Despite all the money that is funnelled into the economy for gifts during the holiday season, this still remains an issue.
Some families with less still feel the obligation to participate in the holiday, especially if they have kids. Not only does this increase the financial strain on these families, but it also facilitates higher rates of mental illness.
Along with the financial burden to families in need, Lolade Adams, a third-year psychology student, points out the hardships for other vulnerable individuals.
“The worst part is that a lot of people don’t get to spend the holidays with their loved ones. People who are homeless don’t have family to be around,” she says.
Though we know the holidays are an expensive time, one begs the question how did Christmas became this way.
The history of Christmas is diverse and long. Several different cultures have celebrated it in many ways, and it was even banned from existence in the 17-century. For two millennia, the holiday has been celebrated for the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Before Jesus, though, the winter solstice acted as a time for celebration, as longer days and warmer weather were ahead.
Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday in America until June 26, 1870. From there, the holiday skyrocketed in conjunction with the industrial revolution.
Since then, America has developed its own form of holiday tradition through Christmas tree decorating, baking, the ever-present clashing colours of red and green, and the biggest tradition in question: gift-giving—none of which don’t necessarily indicate the birth of a religious figure.
Though many still argue the holiday is slathered in religious connotations, modern Christmas celebrations often lack any evidence that they are celebrating the birth of Jesus (unless you count all the wine consumed). There is often a push-back from religious organizations about the holidays, angered that the marketing power of Walmart is undermining that of the Church.
The idea of the revolutionizing of Christmas, isn’t something new, though. Many students have even identified this. Krishnan believes the holiday has separated itself from the Church, though he doesn’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.
“I don’t think people care about the religious undertones. I’m sure people have their traditions, go to church, and actually celebrate it like that, but I think Christmas has become something anyone can celebrate. It’s just about being together,” he says.
Adams agrees that the separation of religion from the holiday may be a positive thing, because it allows for more people to involved. “I think it’s a good thing, because everyone can participate in gift giving no matter their religion, or even lack thereof,” she says.
Much like other occasions during the year, the holidays impose a sense of obligation on people to be charitable, generous, and kind. When was the last time you bought your friend a gift just because?
This begs an important question: would people be less generous without this commercialized sense of a holiday (or obligation)? Would our loved ones never see gestures or gifts of kindness without red and green reminders?
Leigh Eric Schmidt writes about this phenomenon in Consumer Rites: The Buying & Selling of American Holidays, stating: “Perhaps most insistently, the fundamental religious meanings of Christmas and Easter are seen as being lost in a sea of goods. Spiritual, non-materialistic, and eternal varieties are thought to be seriously subverted in a consumer culture enthralled by abundance, self-gratification, and novelty.”
This obsession with purchasing goods identifies itself as an American phenomenon.
Kevin McCook, a fourth-year marketing student has noticed how American culture differs from other countries around the world, especially in its emphasis on gift-giving during the holidays. “I’m from a different country, so I grew up with less of an emphasis on gift-giving during Christmas. I noticed the difference when I came to Canada, but to me and my family, Christmas still has the same effect as it’s supposed to,” he says.
“I understand that it’s more commercialized, but I still think gift giving is a form of being with your family, because not everyone is religious, but everyone likes Christmas,” he continues.
Not only is spending on an array of expensive gifts anxiety-inducing, but so is the traffic that comes with it. With travel at its height, and unfavourable weather conditions, such as slippery snow covering the road, driving during the holidays isn’t a fun time.
“The worst part is probably the traffic conditions combined with everyone trying to rush on the holidays,” says McCook.
Starting at 11 a.m. on December 23, traffic begins to congest all along Toronto roads, and doesn’t cease until Christmas day, when everybody is snug in their house, ripping open their parcels of expensive prizes.
The holiday still isn’t all doom, gloom, and capitalism, though. Many students still feel the holidays carry some character of joy. McCook points out that gift-giving isn’t necessarily meant to be a consumer thing, but rather a way to bring joy to your loved ones.
“Giving is how people show affection—by giving gifts. There’s the money too, but giving gifts is a part of feeling good,” he says.
Baker says: “I think the holidays are great. I like how friends and family get together to celebrate. Even those who don’t celebrate get the chance to take a break from everything and relax.
“Although as you get older that festive spirit begins to die down, I still get excited when Christmas is around the corner seeing all the Christmas decorations people put up, and hearing Christmas songs that are so joyful,” he continues.
Adams enjoys the holiday season, partaking in the classic North American traditions. “I love the holidays. I’ve always liked spending the holidays with my family, and how much decorating it involves—all the Christmas stuff—you know, it just makes me really happy,” she says.
The Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square on November 24 saw droves of people come out to celebrate the holiday season, despite the cold, rainy weather. The official lighting of the christmas tree is a long-held tradition for Torontonians, having occurred for over 50 years. In the most recent years, it acts as evidence that joy still exists in a highly capitalized Yuletide season.
The most common feeling among students around the holidays, is that it’s a great excuse to spend time with their families, and to celebrate the end of the year.
“I think the best part of the holidays is spending time with your family and friends. Everyone is in such a happy mood,” Krishnan says.“Everyone is looking forward to the year ending on a good note.”
To avoid being among the 60 per cent going into debt this Christmas, many financial experts recommend setting a family budget for the holidays, to prevent the financial burden—or remorse—in the time following.
Though the holidays bring joy to many, whether it be through films, lights, the reintroduction of Michael Buble and Mariah Carey to our radios, and the joyous tradition of gift-giving, it’s important to remember those who might not be as financially able to participate.
Though the oversaturation of shopping has made the holidays seem like a burden, it’s also important to remember that it’s the season to spend time with your family, bundle up under a warm blanket, and enjoy some quality time. Try to forget about your ordeal at the mall earlier in the day, and appreciate your time with your loved ones.
With files from Jessica Sripaskaran
