Have the holidays and the spirit of the season been completely hijacked by our drive to consume and gift? Have we blurred the lines between the true meaning of the season and the consumerism that was once just a byproduct of that spirit?

This question has been pondered for many holiday seasons prior, yet despite our awareness of this growing concern, we seem to continue a course of record-shattering dollars spent on gift-giving each year. 

Tempers run high as everyone scurries to the mall or big-box retailer to spend money they often do not have to buy gifts that are frequently unnecessary.  

While giving presents to loved ones can be a valid way to show appreciation, the act often becomes more important than the present itself, resulting in undesired gifts piling up.

A statistic to support this is the estimated fifteen billion dollars worth of unwanted gifts given during the 2021 Christmas season alone. 

But wasting hard-earned dollars on seemingly meaningless presents not only has effects on the consumer, but also on our earth’s resources. 

Human labor, water, land, and carbon emissions all contribute to the production of these products that are bought and often eventually donated or thrown out, becoming stuck in a landfill.

Though it seems like this problem could be solved by simply making more conscious money choices, America’s societal compulsion that equates love to the number of gifts received makes this easier said than done.

So, in terms of fixing this nationwide problem, the answer is not so simple.

But an effective first step to take next holiday season, helping to lower waste and save money, would be to ask yourself and your loved ones if the act of overbuying just for the holiday’s sake is necessary to experience the joy of the season or not.