Christmas has always been a day of giving with friends and family coming together in celebration of the winter holiday and spreading their appreciation to those around them. 

Gift-giving is a major aspect of the Christmas holiday traditions, but in recent decades, the importance of it has been heavily emphasized. 

Throughout the 21st century, Christmas spending has increased dramatically in individual families, usually due to additional presents being bought. 

The focus on capitalistic consumerism in the US is a big factor in this development as advertisements and exposure to products has been an ever expanding phenomenon.

Senior Cooper Stewart has found this trend very counterintuitive to what the Christmas holiday represents. “My family and I have celebrated Christmas for a long time now. We give presents to each other, but never focus on the gift-giving aspect as much. I think there has been an increased need for gift spending because of the overwhelming options consumers have to spend on this time of year,” said Stewart.

As companies continue to push their brand and products forward for people to consume, the rise of spending will increase. 

The Christmas holiday has always been a spotlight for consumer media. The season is commonly viewed as a barrage of brightly colored lights, decorations, songs and entertainment specials for people to experience. It is not surprising to see that people are willing to embrace this modern culture of the holiday season and participate in the celebrations.

This shift in consumerism is not necessarily negative towards the spirit that Christmas is representing from its original religious traditions.

Senior Steven Ly finds joy with people gift-giving to each other. “People appreciating and thanking others by giving presents is a good thing and is what Christmas is about. It makes people think of each other and show what they mean to each other. I have thought deeply and personally about the stuff I gave to people and there is a lot of meaning behind that,” Ly said.

Christmas has always been celebrated in many different ways by different people whether that is family traditions or religious practices. It is important to let new changes to this inclusive holiday be accepted and let people enjoy what Christmas means to them.