The holiday season is meant to be a cheerful few months, when family can reunite and spend quality time together. However, there is a huge threat to this ideal: consumerism. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines consumerism as “…the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable” (merriam-webster.com). Consumerism is now at the forefront of the holidays, and all people are thinking about during this once magical time is spending money. This consumerist takeover has drowned out the true significance of the holidays and made people focus on spending when they should be thinking about their loved ones.

   The focus on money during the holiday season pressures people to spend more on gifts. According to a 2018 survey done by Bankrate, more than 2 in 5, or 45 percent, of Americans feel pressured to overspend on gifts during the holiday season. Additionally, most Americans are unwilling to regift or buy used or secondhand items (bankrate.com). This pressure on the American people is harmful, not only on their wallets but also on their minds. The holidays should be a time to be happy, not worried about whether or not they are spending enough money.

   Holiday consumerism also makes children grow up learning those money-focused values. According to Wired, “…toy manufacturers and retailers spend millions of dollars each year to make sure their products are the ones on everyone’s wishlist, with TV and online ads, special retail displays, and old-fashioned toy catalogs” (wired.com). This constant advertising during the holidays is pulling children’s focus away from family and towards money and material objects. Children should not be growing up constantly seeing advertisements during the holidays, or they will also get sucked into a consumerist mindset.

   The consumerist attitude of Black Friday pushes those who are desperate to buy items to extreme measures, even to violence. Black Friday comes the day after Thanksgiving, and its purpose is for stores to offer large discounts to customers and take advantage of the upcoming Christmas season. According to a website dedicated to counting the deaths and injuries on Black Friday, there have been 12 deaths and 117 injuries from 2006 to 2018 alone. The offenses include brawls, stampedes, shootings, and more (blackfridaydeathcount.com). The need to spend during the holidays should not be so strong that it drives people to harm others just to be able to buy their precious items.

   A clear indication of consumerism controlling the holidays is how early stores begin to sell their Christmas products. According to the official website of Time Magazine, many stores begin selling Christmas-specific items as early as September in a phenomenon dubbed Christmas Creep. (business.time.com). These stores yearn to reap as much of the benefits of the holiday season as they possibly can, even when the season has not yet begun. This early advertising is troubling, as it gets people to think about what they will spend money on during the holidays, perhaps before they’re even making plans to be with their loved ones.

   “In my opinion, gifts that come from the heart are more valuable. Spending too much money on gifts is unnecessary and can turn holidays into a financial burden,” said Junior Yingxin Wu.

   Consumerism is an enemy of traditional holiday season values, changing the focus from love and family to spending money on gifts, decorations, and more. From making people adhere to pressure to encouraging violence, consumerism makes people obsessed with spending money rather than spending time with their families. To combat this threat, everyone should strive to spend the holidays with the people who matter, not in the stores, and give gifts that come from the heart, not from the wallet.