Recently, diarists
EmilyD and
wishingwell presented the viewpoint that we should stop buying gifts for Christmas (or at least not buy them the day after Thanksgiving, though I'm not sure what the point is if you merely put it off). This is an idea I have seen before - that consumerism is bad, that Christmas shopping builds corporate profits at the expense of the working class, and that all this shopping corrupts and ignores the religious significance of Christmas.
I will start with the last point. As an atheist, I guess I'm not too concerned about whose holidays get corrupted, but I will note that Christmas has taken on pagan elements from the beginning (here is an excellent article on how various religions have celebrated
winter solstice). I guess it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that the
Puritans were not fond of Christmas, but their view doesn't seem to have caught on. I should probably note now that despite being raised an atheist (I returned to atheism after exploring Christianity as a teenager), I have always celebrated Christmas, and suspect that my situation is not unique.
The first two points are in a sense the same and should be treated together. Capitalist economies are, of course, inherently unequal, and I probably need not remind anyone here of the drawbacks of free trade, third world factories and that euphemistically named scourge, outsourcing. Some are probably concerned that by buying so many Christmas gifts, they are contributing to this problem, but I think this view is too simplistic. Our economy is built on trade, and many companies make a profit precisely because of Christmas shopping. Those companies hire a lot of people who would otherwise be out of work. Furthermore, many of those positions, such as cashiers and other in store help, are exactly the kind of positions that cannot be outsourced.
I do not advocate reckless spending - do not buy what you cannot afford! Large scale bankruptcy does not help the economy, but neither does excessive frugality. Economic depressions get out of control because when the economy slows down, people are afraid to spend the money they have, and that only slows the economy down even further. This is why John Maynard Keynes advocated deficit spending during economic trouble (which right wing activists have turned into the dogma of always cutting taxes). I guess the rule I would employ is to not change your habits too drastically - don't buy a bunch of stuff just because it's Christmas, but also don't stop buying stuff just to make a point. If you're just getting by, perhaps a buy nothing Christmas is best, but if you can afford to buy a few gifts, go ahead. RAMPANT CONSUMERISM MAKES THE ECONOMY WORK!
Full disclosure: I am a part-time (but permanent) employee at a major department store. I am a recent college graduate, so I expect that this job will be a starting point, not a dead end.