Over the years, the holiday season has become increasingly commercialized, with products for holidays being put out on the shelves earlier each year. The editors at The Outlook have noticed this trend and weighed in on whether the holiday season has become too commercialized, and the impact of this on college students.
One editor said, “I think that holiday traditions are changing from person to person. I believe that the holiday traditions that are sticking are traditions that families and friends continue to keep throughout generations or from year to year. With that being said, I do think holiday traditions such as photos with Santa are changing because of shopping and sales.”
They continued, “So many people, even children, are more focused on what sale Sephora is having rather than pictures with Santa. I remember when I was younger, lines to take pictures with Santa were out the door of places, you had to wait in line for hours. Nowadays, I rarely see anyone waiting in line to take pictures with Santa.”
Another editor agreed, “I think holiday traditions are slightly affected by shopping because a lot of people seem to base their holiday around shopping and getting good sales.”
Clubs and organizations on campus will participate in gift giving for each other either through secret santa type events. One editor said, “I do think that holiday celebrations on campus are affected by commercial trends. I instantly think of holiday parties, gift giving, etc. Even if certain clubs or organizations are raising money for a good cause, it is still a reflection of current trends surrounding the holidays.”
One editor noticed this trend as well, they said, “I definitely think campus is affected by holiday trends. It’s not necessarily a bad thing either, because I love seeing the holiday spirit come through on campus.”
College students are notoriously regarded as being broke, and with high expectations of gift giving during the holiday season, the editors acknowledge the difficult position this may put students in.
“I do think holiday spending is getting out of hand for college students. This Black Friday I saw so many tempting sales I could’ve easily spent $1000 on stuff that I didn’t need. There’s such an impulse to give in to ads and sales that these companies are really taking advantage of our demographic,” one editor said.
Another editor agreed, “Holiday spending, along with everything else, has gotten completely out of hand for everyone, including college students. Everything is just so expensive now, but you can’t not get gifts, so you’re sort of forced to participate in this consumerism.”
One editor believes that spending is going to naturally increase during the holiday season regardless of consumer expectations. They said, “I think during the holidays you see an increase in spending no matter what, although with the number of commercials, ads, promotions, etc. that we see during the holidays and simply while scrolling on our phones.”
However the editor did agree with the overall sentiment of the others, “I do think that holiday spending for college students can get out of control. During the holidays, college students also take advantage of buying things, whether it’s because of sales or simply because there is already so much being spent during the holidays so they think why not splurge and spend a little more during this season.”
While students are focused on what they can buy during the holidays, one editor thinks college students have not lost the true meaning of the season. “Students definitely focus more on gifts than the meaning of the holiday because everyone loves getting or giving gifts. However, that’s not to say students take it for granted because students I know use gift giving as showing their appreciation for their friends and family, which is half of what the holidays are about,” they said.
One editor is focusing on family time with their family during the holiday season. They concluded, “I really feel like it all depends on the person. At least with my family, over the past 3 years, we’ve strayed away from big gift exchanges and either done a Secret Santa or a family experience like a trip. That way we keep the meaning of the holidays about being together, making it special, and planning future experiences.”
