Somewhere between the release of Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spiced Lattes and us blinking, the holiday season sneaks up faster than we can say “Trick or Treat”. Next thing we know we are bombarded with ads, codes, and articles all screaming for our attention to BUY BUY BUY. Whether it’s “Oprah’s Favorite Things List” or the “Hottest Tech Gifts for Under a Gazillion Dollars” we are constantly being informed about the next best thing out there. Then the floodgates open with HUGE discounts and incentives to convince us to buy NOW! How can you say no!? I mean, this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year right? Or is it?
Let’s look at Black Friday for a solid example. Why is it that with each passing year Black Friday feels more like a sequel to the Hunger Games and less like a joyous time to give thanks and spread cheer? You know it has gotten out of hand when people are more inclined to tell a person going shopping on Black Friday “may the odds be ever in your favor” rather than “good luck.”
It’s like everyone drinks a proverbial bottle of “Consumerade” (aka the “Kool-Aide”). The idiom “drinking the kool-aid” commonly refers to people who knowingly go along with a doomed or dangerous idea because of peer pressure (google Jonestown or Peoples Temple for examples). So I feel like, when people get a taste of “Consumerade” around the holidays, they automatically feel entitled to throw all caution to the wind and allow their manners to fall to the way side. I get it, the deep discounts being thrown at you can be extremely tempting but in all actuality, is this what this season is really about that?
You go through all the hassle of buying a bunch of gifts on credit or going into debt just to impress people you may not even like! This may be influenced by wanting to keep up with your neighbors or peers (you’ll see the steady stream of christmas trees with tons of presents flood your timeline), but in the end you’ve got a bunch of family and friends that aren’t even going to utilize all the “stuff” you paid an exuberant amount of money for a year later! Is it REALLY worth it?
Just take a minute to think about this, according to a study conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 2013, Americans generate roughly 254 million tons of trash annually. During the holidays, Americans throw away 25% MORE trash than the rest of the year! Peabody It is estimated that nearly 60% of Americans receive undated gifts during the holiday season. The point of laying out these facts are that statistically, there is a high chance that the gift you stood three hours for out in the cold and cut off an old lady with a cane to get, may end up in the trash. When you could have awarded your family with the gift of your time and presence for FREE!
During a time that could be better utilized with friends and family, we are essentially worried about buying them a gift (possibly an item for the trash) rather than “spending” our time wisely. I’m sure, we’ve all had a sip of “Consumerade” at some point in our lives. I get it, I’m completely guilty of trying to buy nice gifts to impress loved ones. I feel to a large extent that they deserve only the best, so the human instinct in us says to buy them something nice, something we feel they are worthy of. This is where we get into trouble with our finances. We have to step back and analyze what’s truly important and what is not.
Yerevan Things I’ve Learned:
1.) The accumulation of stuff is an endless and often, fruitless journey. Just look at ancient Egyptians,they have tombs dedicated to holding items for the afterlife, we really can’t take all this “stuff” with us. The memories we accumulate are much more valuable than the things we amass. Bob Dylan said it best – “”Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.”
2.) We spend more time taking care of our cars, taking our expensive clothes to the cleaners, and making sure our possessions are taken care of than we do each other. The holiday season is a great opportunity to “take care” of those that matter the most and that’s not in a monetary sense. Spending quality time with your loved ones instead of your cell phone this holiday season is how you take better care of the finite time you are given.
3.) Out of all the gifts Americans receive, 60% of them are NOT wanted! So DO NOT go into the red this season by trying to buy gifts you simply can’t afford because chances are high the intended recipient won’t like it any ways or even if they do like it/requested it, chances are that they won’t utilize it past one year.
4.) It’s easier to make memories and remember them by being present. Never forget and always be mindful of the fact that “your presence is a present”. This holiday season I challenge you to turn off technology and tune into what’s going on around you. Rely on your memory for once rather than your smart phone to capture the moment.
5.) It’s not all about the gifts, I can’t stress this enough. I’ve seen how much of a consumeristic society we have become. Years and years ago, having a good meal, a healthy family, and friends around during Christmas was enough. Now a days so many people seem to drown in these societal inadequacies we’ve created by having an outlet that allows us to show it all off (social media). I’m here to remind you that you are not a failure if you can not afford the best gifts this year. I can not reiterate this enough, “remember the reason for the season.” Enjoy time with your loved ones and create memories. Do not stress about having enough money to buy a bunch of gifts.
Over the past few years, I’ve managed to put down the bottle of what seems to be filled with buyers remorse, the superficial “need” to buy something, and holiday inadequacies (not spending enough, not getting enough gifts, not thinking of everyone). Enough is enough, it’s time to take the holidays back and remember what they are here for in the first place.
There are many things you can buy, but you can never buy back time. Our time here on Earth is precious and just like the gifts we give, our time is finite, perishable, and often thrown away because we aren’t paying enough attention to the here and now. On your death bed you aren’t going to remember the expensive gifts you received, you’re going to remember the memories with your loved ones. So this holiday season I ask that we all try our best NOT to sip the “Consumerade,” that we save our money and invest in the people we care about with our time and love.
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