Why is Christmas more commercialized than any other holiday around this time?
January 11th, 2009 | 
Author: Charlie_Watts asked:
I see so many people buy all these gifts with Christmas in mind and stuff like that – how come advertisers don’t promote Hanukkah (sp?) or Ramadan or Kwanzaa or even Yuletide? I celebrate Christmas, but not until January 7 (and people don’t extend Christmas for those who believe in the Julian calendar, do they?). Do some people value their holidays with more respect than commercialism? What gives?
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Category: Kwanzaa Gifts | 
Tags: Advertisers, Christmas, Christmas Holiday, Commercialism, Gifts, Hanukkah, Holidays, Julian Calendar, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Respect, Yuletide | 
15 Comments »
Because “Christmas” started by telling of the gift of God to the world, it was easy to distract people from the true message to our giving gifts. The message of our savior being born into the world is a horrible message to the devil and he will do anything to keep people from the message of God’s love.
Looking at the way Christmas is “celebrated”, it seems like the devil has done a pretty good job keeping people unhappy, overwrought, and depressed through commercialization.
I think the Christmas season is a target for retailers. The average retailer really plays up the whole “What’s Santa going to bring you THIS year?” thing. I don’t think a lot of people realize the psychological impacts retailers try to push on us during the holiday season. The decorations, the tv commercials with the underlying messages that if you don’t at MINIMUM buy your LOVED ones that very special (usually expensive) gift, you’re pretty useless as a human being. And that’s just the beginning. After you’ve overspent on your family, there’s always your co-workers, the pizza guy, your hair dresser…the list goes on and on.
When you visit the mall, while the decorations are usually pretty impressive, I don’t believe retailers just randomly display them. The decorations are meant to get you so caught up in the moment that you totally forget your spending budget, if you had one in the first place. We are encouraged to use credit cards with almost complete abandon, all in the quest to just get those gifts (for your very special loved ones) stuffed under the tree.
Christmas works for retailers. If another holiday offered more opportunity to separate us from our hard-earned dollars, retailers would play up that holiday more than Christmas. Other holidays work to a degree, like Easter, birthdays, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, but the Christmas shopping season packs the biggest bang for the buck to retailers.
No one promotes these holidays because they are not celebrated by as many people as Christmas. “Christmas” has been commercialized longer than the others! Even though I celebrate Yule, I still get Christmas gifts for my extended family and Christian friends.
We call the frenzy of the season “Gift-mas” because it’s so lacking in spirituality.
It’s unfair, in some ways, but I’d rather not have Wal-Mart setting up Yule Sales with big plastic light up Goddesses!
Christmas is more commercialized than any other holiday because the retailers know that the majority of people will be purchasing gifts for loved ones. Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Yuletide and belief in the Julian calendar all rolled together don’t compare commercially to Christmas, so the retailers aren’t all that interested in accommodating them. Sure, you can find limited items for all of those occasions, but nothing like the Christmas rush.
well we live in the united states of America…. and the united states believe in Christmas being on the 25th…. they respect all the other religious holidays but this is what we do in America…. I’m sure if u go to a different country they celebrate it differently…..
Because that is when the ‘man’ makes his money- ppl thing they have to buy gifts for everyone. it is soo crazy!
I buy for my kids, and hubby- I am so glad I don’t have a big family (extended) because I would **** feeling PRESSURED to buy everyone a gift.
STUPID of those ppl who do it.
majority rules…
B/c it is the most popular, hence it offers the most profit.
Here in America, those who are paying for the ads celebrate Christmas. If Hanukkah (spell?), Kwanzaa, or whatever needs to be advertised, they need to get their own sponsors.
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Because it is the most popular religious holiday in the Western world. So the stores make use of that fact. They aren’t stupid.
Probably it’s because many more people celebrate Christmas in December. I say that with a sigh–I am Pagan and celebrate the Winter Solstice. I don’t think I really want a lot of the tackiness associated with Christmas applied to my celebration, though.
I have friends who celebrate Christmas in January–are you Eastern Orthodox, too? They love that they can shop the “after-Christmas” sales and get their gifts for cheap!
PS–Nrwilcox is wrong about Kwanzaa. It’s a holiday for African-Americans to celebrate good things about African culture, invented by and for Americans. It is not religious, and it’s celebrated along with Christmas, not instead of.
why do people generalize?
Because this country was built on christianity. It is our very core. Look at other countries that aren’t christian based. They are the ones that celebrate Kwanzaa or Ramadan. It all depends on the root of the country.
Don’t blame the market for the stupidity of the individuals who support it.
it’s just the spirit of the season! I spoke with many jewish people this year about their faith and commercialized christmases. Honestly, I was totally surprised to learn that some jews have christmas trees in their houses! It’s just a holiday spirit that people identify with, and it makes them feel good. I love it!