Driving to school, you may see the signs of winter appearing in the dewey grass and foggy December mornings. The month also comes with the beloved holiday season, a time for festive decorations, celebrations and gratitude for loved ones.
However, this time period can be extremely costly, and so I ask: what’s your budget for this holiday season?
According to the National Retail Federation, consumer spending this holiday season will reach a new high: $902 on average per person.
This is up from last year’s spending budget of $875. Despite this holiday season being shorter, people are prepared to spend more, and retailers are prepared to meet their needs by offering earlier deals. The total cost across America?
“A new record of between $979.5 billion and $989 billion,” Investopedia wrote.
This spending is spread across various categories but by far the most expensive category is gifts.
“Of the $902 shoppers plan to spend, approximately $641 is on gifts for family, friends, co-workers and more, which is an increase from $620 last year,” wrote the National Retail Federation.
Getting gifts for all the special, impactful people in our lives, we find ourselves in a familiar dilemma: what would they want? What is something that will make them smile, or think back on you with affection? So we revert to the “bigger is better” rule. We think that the more expensive the present—the name brand perfumes, the luxurious jewelry, the fastest technology, even a new car—the more appreciation a person will have.
In a world where we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements for products, it’s easy to fall into the trap of consumerism. But if we take a step back, we can begin to understand the real meaning of the holiday season.
As a student headed off to college next year, I’ve realized that what I will miss the most about the holidays isn’t the gifts that my family gives me. I’m going to miss collecting colorful leaves to put in a vase with my dad. I’m going to miss seeing the house with the decorations that we’ve had since I was a kid, a collection that constantly grows with the addition of various handmade winter crafts from school. I’m going to miss baking cookies with my sister with cheery music playing in the background. I’m going to miss the 10-foot-tall inflatable polar bears in our front yard and laughing as I fall down while ice skating with family and friends.
I appreciate the holiday season because of the pure joy. Going to the mall, I smile more at the bright colors and smell of hot chocolate than at what’s in the windows.
The holidays aren’t about the gifts. They are about spending time with the people who mean the most to you. So how do we step away from the monetary value of the holidays?
The answer is pretty simple. Lean into the people you love. Spend time making memories. An hour to hand-make holiday cards or a night out walking around neighborhoods to look at holiday lights is worth more in the long term than any purchase. If we redefine what the holiday season means to us, it’s easier to find joy in the things that cost no money at all.
More often than not, spending time with the people who matter most to you will help you with your gift-giving stress. When you spend time with people, you learn about their likes and dislikes. You find out about what simple things bring them the most joy, about the hobbies they enjoy or the values that guide them through their daily life.
Armed with this information, we can choose more meaningful gifts for the meaningful people in our lives. By choosing gifts based on their value to someone—not the value listed on a sticker or tag—we show them that they are the real gift of our holiday season.
