Lynne Dohle
Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
The approaching holiday season holds many appealing elements, like decorating your house, baking cookies, wrapping presents or spending time with loved ones. This time of year is magical, but it is also stressful, as it requires time management and planning, causes arguments and, let’s be honest, often promotes a ridiculous amount of spending.
Buying holiday presents for everyone you care about adds up, especially if your love language is gift giving. When kids are part of the holiday, they write letters to Santa outlining exactly what they want. But when the holidays are adult-only, no one makes a list; you have to guess and hope the receiver likes your gift.
This guessing game gets expensive fast. Some may buy options and give multiple gifts because, that way, the receiver is guaranteed to like at least one item. But this leads to a major overconsumption that no one wants to admit they contribute to.
There are typically many freebie gifts that are simple and safe: candles, pajamas, jewelry, tools, ties or maybe even cooking supplies. But the reality is that no one wants another candle or tie; they want something personal. I bet you these “safe gifts” might sit in the back of someone’s closet for years. Then, not only did you waste your money while contributing to consumerism, but at that point, you’re not even giving a thoughtful gift. You’re just adding clutter to people’s homes.
The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to buy junk and pointless gifts — they should be a reason to be thoughtful.
Quality will always beat quantity. No one needs 10 pairs of socks, six baking spatulas and even more towels. You may want to buy your family three to four presents each so they have a lot to open on Christmas morning, but instead of gifting multiple mundane, useless gifts, invest in a meaningful, high-quality gift or a personal handmade one. They will appreciate that more than 30 extra seconds of unwrapping presents.
If you plan on spending the same amount of money, you might as well gift something good quality. It will last them so much longer, and it shows more intention than a random pile of filler presents. And gift giving doesn’t need to be a guessing game; asking makes the gift a hundred times more personal.
Overconsumption doesn’t only appear when gift giving — it also shows up through holiday decor shopping. Many wait all year for the holidays, so when they finally arrive, people rush to all the stores — like Target, Michaels and Walmart — to get the best seasonal decor.
This is great to an extent. There is no need to buy new holiday decorations every year. When you decorate for the first time, buy items that you’ll still like 20 years from now. Don’t buy pieces that are trendy because you’ll probably end up throwing them out next year.
You don’t need to buy something every time you go to the store, and you don’t need all the tiny, pointless knick-knacks. It’s OK to just browse — and sometimes it’s just as fun. And remember: You are not required to join the holiday spending madness just because everyone else is doing it. If something is going to end up in the trash by January, leave it on the shelf.
Buying junk isn’t festive; it’s just wasteful. The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to buy junk and pointless gifts; they should be a reason to be thoughtful. This year, be intentional with your spending. Focus on what truly matters and let thoughtfulness, not excess, define your holidays.
Reach Charlotte Seymour at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.