As the holidays settle into full swing, the rise in debatably unnecessary consumerism begins to skyrocket.

The holidays, spanning from November to December, are jam-packed with busy times surrounded by family and friends. We give our thanks, celebrate denominational December holidays, and finally enter the new year. 

However, we tend to lose the idea of the holiday season. Rather than center our time with loved ones and gather in shared celebration, we focus too heavily on the monetary value of our time.

During Black Friday, in-store and online sales spike. Consumers, coming off of a Thanksgiving food-coma, revel in mediocre sales for products they otherwise would never have given a second thought. We buy things simply for the sake of buying them because they are on sale. It feels like a steal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before the sale ends, and thus consumers fail to consider whether or not a product has meaningful space in both their homes and their hearts. 

Any Christmas gifts that weren’t bought in the Black Friday frenzy, are collected in the weeks leading up to December 25th. Companies, aware of the consumer’s naive nature, release discounted gift sets, intriguing mini products, and loads of wasteful stocking-stuffers. These products, although sometimes concedingly worth-it, are oftentimes a corporate strategy to make money off goods packaged with unnecessary plastics. The American consumer is driven to purchase needless items which, if nothing else, contribute to the issue of mass consumerism and pollution.

In a less extreme fashion, New Years drives the sales of cheap, tacky decorations and alcohol. Going into 2025 in a sloppy fashion, wearing paper glasses, blowing obnoxious party poppers, and sharing sloppy drunken memories – in true American fashion. 

Although it may be argued that the high drive in consumerism is part of the holiday experience, the extreme waste and money spent has turned into the focal point, and it should not be. 

The holidays, regardless of which one is celebrated, are for the purpose of gathering in love and revelry – not conceding to the consumerist ideal corporates try to sell.