It happens around late August or early September. You’re in Target and there is already a huge display of Halloween costumes, candy and other themed items. You think to yourself: “Isn’t Halloween a month away, or longer?”
Yes, in fact it is; Halloween is almost a century away, and yet Target feels the need to market the holiday long before it’s even a thought in your head. Perhaps it’s just a larger representation of the handy string-around-the-finger model, so that you don’t forget to celebrate! Oh, how sweet of you, Target!
On the other hand, maybe it’s a marketing strategy that large retailers use to “scare up” more money than they would have if they had advertised products for Halloween later, and not sooner.
Preseason sales, the advent of fall television and limited-edition drinks at Starbucks are just a few of the many indicators some people use to get into the “mood” that fall is here or quickly coming.
Aren’t the holidays bigger than that? Aren’t they more than Halloween decorations going up before October rolls around, or Christmas-gift commercials coming on three months before the big day? Have we, by prematurely celebrating, preparing for and marketing, forgotten the point of why we celebrate these holidays in the first place?
If this is the case, which I believe it is to some extent, then I’m led to wonder if there is a right way to celebrate the holidays, and if there is anything to blame for the de-emphasis on the occasions themselves.
The obvious answer to the first question is, of course, anyone can celebrate the holidays any way desired. The harder question is if we know the difference between commercializing a holiday and celebrating it based on traditions that have been passed down.
While I still believe that there is value in the holiday season, and that people are entitled to celebrate however they want, I’ve always believed that Thanksgiving and Christmas, while different, are opportunities to commune with people who mean a lot to you. Sometimes geographical and financial obstacles can prevent people from spending these holidays with the people that they care about, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the fact that holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas have been marginalized for the sake of convenience.
Church leaders warn against the dangers of consumerism, as Pope Angelus Benedict XVI even addressed crowds on Christmas Day 2012, preaching against materialism in a season centered on Christ. Despite this, many (not all) simply continue to ignore the traditional purpose of Christmas and cater to the allure of the holiday’s commercialization. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, people often ignore the traditions that are associated with Christmas.
Although the general consensus on what Christmas is about — the birth of Jesus — is mostly agreed upon, this knowledge has been overshadowed by the overwhelming reality that Christmas is now focused on buying gifts. Instead of deciding on which services to attend, people are fretting over which gifts would be best for their parent or significant other.
According to an article by Better Homes and Gardens: “Christmas was first celebrated in ancient Rome, around 300 years after Christ’s birth. It was a popular Christian holiday until the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. Because Pagan customs had been enfolded into the religious observance, many Protestants chose not to celebrate it at all.”
The holidays, particularly Christmas, have evolved tremendously in the millennia since their inception. While each generation may restructure the perception of holidays, it seems that this present generation focuses less on tradition and takes an individualistic, commercial stance on the holidays.
In recent years, some have come to the conclusion that Thanksgiving is overshadowed by Black Friday.
According to an article posted by Time magazine, “If anything, some [people] don’t think Thanksgiving is being ruined by retailers opening their doors, but by the shoppers who play along and show up.”
The holidays have become more of a business than a tradition. Both on the part of consumers and marketing campaigns, the holidays have been downgraded to obligatory calendar days that have specific requirements.
In a world that is becoming more fast-paced, it can sometimes feel like we are missing the point of fall and the holidays altogether. Although people may celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas differently (or not at all), these are times specifically allocated to spend precious moments with family, friends and acquaintances. As convenient and task-like as the holidays may become in future years, it is important to remember and acknowledge the traditions that have been passed down, to preserve the importance and existence of the holidays themselves.