Before Halloween was over, Costco was selling Christmas decorations, and they weren’t the only company to do so. It feels like stores have started putting out candy-cane decor and Frosty the Snowman inflatables earlier and earlier every year. Honestly, I’m tired of it.
Don’t get me wrong here: I like Christmas! I like picking out the perfect gifts I know my friends will love. The family time and huge meals are a staple of my December. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowly grown more tired of the greedy corporations milking the holiday for as long as they can.
The holiday has good intentions—promoting kindness, compassion, and communication between people—but it’s been ruined for me. Starting November 1, every store you walk into is shouting at you to BUY BUY BUY! Buy presents for your family, friends, and co-workers! Spend lots of money, and if you don’t, you obviously don’t care enough about others!
November/December has become way too capitalistic. Being required by your own moral code to buy into the money-grab that is the holiday season? That’s the best marketing scam in all of human history. According to a survey commissioned by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the average Canadian spends an average of $643 on holiday gifts. That’s a lot of money to dish out every winter, and that doesn’t even cover the seasonal electricity or food costs. The sheer amount of money needed for the holiday makes it unenjoyable—especially for students and people working minimum-wage jobs.
Aside from the cost, there’s the environment to consider. It’s tradition to meet up with family during the holiday season and spend time together, but doing so can create a big environmental impact. People flying out across the country (or the world, for that matter) help contribute to the annual increase in greenhouse gasses.
Every year, miles upon miles of wrapping paper gets used and discarded after that one use; the exact number is somewhere around 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper. And that’s just in Canada. There’s also gift packaging to consider here, too—all those hard plastic containers, tinsel strands, and zip ties end up somewhere. It’s such an inefficient use of resources that it honestly boggles my mind. Please reuse gift bags and any wrapping paper that you can. We need to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to lessen the impact of Christmas waste.
Oh, and why do stores play Christmas music? I can’t think of any logical reason other than to slowly drive their employees insane. I’m not even 20 and I’m sick of hearing the same carols every year, although I do take amusement from pop artists doing covers of the classics thinking they’ve made something I’ll want to listen to.
I don’t have cable anymore (thankfully), but those who do are subjected to Christmas TV the minute November 1 hits. Apparently, it’s not enough to be hounded by the radio, stores, and online advertisements. We also need to have the “holiday spirit” shoved down our throats in our resting hours as well. Everybody has seen Elf dozens of times, so why do they continue to play it? In all honesty, my ideal Christmas movie is one that barely mentions the holiday at all; Iron Man 3 and Die Hard are some great examples of enjoyable films that involve the festive season.
This time of year is one of my least favourites for lots of reasons, but the biggest reason I hate the holiday season? Capitalism shames anyone who disagrees with its philosophy. If you bring up the fact that you don’t like listening to Christmas music, you’re labelled a “Grinch.” If you talk to a neighbour and mention how you don’t like buying gifts, you’re “inconsiderate.” And don’t even think about saying you dislike family gatherings; then you “don’t have holiday spirit.”
I like Christmas Day itself, but for a holiday that’s supposed to be about family, love, and kindness, it sure is easy to find reasons for me to hate it. Capitalism, like it ruins everything else in our society, has ruined Christmas too.