Christmas, a religious and cultural festival, has transformed into an advertising spectacle with businesses capitalising on all aspects of traditions such as presents, decorations and food. With consumerism becoming synonymous with Christmas, competitive marketing campaigns and excessive displays have detracted from the holiday’s religious association with money and spending becoming a centralised component for many of those celebrating.
As Christmas approaches, the majority of the UK will spend a significant amount of wages on Christmas shopping. Rather than fleeing to overcrowded shopping centres, many consumers will opt for online stores where there is a greater variety of goods available at just the click of a button. Once Halloween is over many companies begin capitalising on the Christmas period and high street giants such as John Lewis release their annual Christmas advert, happening this year as early as 9th November 2023. According to Statista, 78 percent of Christmas shoppers use online stores making it the most prevalent choice with Amazon, Argos, and eBay being leading sites.
Although online shopping may be the most convenient way to buy presents, the huge influx of deliveries poses a strain on postal services such as Royal Mail. With the exponential growth of e-commerce, Royal Mail’s revenue has become more reliant on parcels than traditional mail services such as letters. Struggling to cope with the demand, Royal Mail has received a £5.6m fine for failing to achieve delivery targets such as their popular Tracked 24 service according to The Guardian.
The fast fashion industry has played a huge role in influencing Christmas shopping and compelling consumers to keep up to date with ever-changing trends. However, this has come with unfavourable consequences to the economy as well as issues around sustainability. On the economic side, the appeal of cheap, mass-produced products has compelled many businesses to adopt fast-fashion strategies. To keep up with the competition, many retailers resort to sweatshops encouraging an outlook on clothing as a disposable commodity diminishing its value and quality. Profit goes directly to these private businesses; however, second-hand fashion sites such as Vinted are better for the economy and environment. They encourage reusing clothing instead of placing them in waste and landfills as well as reusing packaging. Money goes directly to the individual seller rather than large corporations meaning people have more disposable income to put into the economy.
The pressure of Christmas spending can also apply a lot of stress on families to spend beyond their means. According to The Independent, six out of ten households make sacrifices to be able to afford Christmas gifts with 31 percent relying on credit cards. There is a societal expectation and desire to keep up with the exchange of expensive and extravagant gifts. With marketing and social media playing a large role in organising these expectations, a shift towards sustainable gifts would be beneficial for the environment and economy.
Although the economic impact of the commercialisation of Christmas is a success in driving retail sales, the pressure on individuals to spend beyond their means and the implications of excessive waste can have widespread effects. A societal shift in attitude towards second-hand items and sustainable business practices would not only minimise spending habits but also have a positive impact on the environment and economy with people having more disposable income.