Would Ralphie have such fond memories of that Christmas if he hadn’t gotten what he wanted in the end?
In 2016, I was working at a small pediatric clinic during the holiday season. There, the paycheck before Christmas was always the one where a bonus was added. That year, the powers that be decided there would be no bonus, blaming unforeseen business costs. The staff was not warned beforehand, leaving people to look at their bank accounts on Dec. 15 and wonder what they’d done wrong. When the medical assistants, nurses, and office workers realized there would be no bonus, the Christmas spirit that had been circulating through the clinic was suddenly gone. People were angry that senior management couldn’t at least be open and honest about the situation in advance, and people were worried; many of my coworkers’ financial situations, like that of many Americans, could only be described as “paycheck to paycheck.”
There were also people who needed the bonus just to cover their Christmas spending. At least one nurse sought a loan in order to secure the gifts she still wanted to buy for her children. Sadly, that nurse, and the financial hardship she took on during the holidays, are not uncommon. There are Americans out there right now being lured to predatory lenders offering “Christmas loans” with 400% interest rates—people digging themselves deeper into debt just so they can spend this time of year fitting a cultural image. I’ve been a child who watched other children receive gifts and participate in family events, while Santa Claus seemed to skip my home. But it is another circle of hell entirely to face the enormous pressure of being a parent who loves their children but, for one reason or another, can’t provide the material things we associate—and daresay, expect—to receive at Christmastime.
This sort of consumerism is bad enough in any given year, but becomes even more stressful at a time when millions have been laid off, much-needed government aid is endlessly debated, and a deadly pandemic decimates our society. However, despite all of that, the spending show still goes on. The risk of COVID-19 wasn’t enough to dispel crowds clamoring for Louis Vuitton accessories and PlayStation 5 consoles over Thanksgiving weekend.
The odd union of religion, consumerism, and an implied societal duty to buy at Christmastime is just too strong, even in an uncertain time of social distancing, lockdowns, and desperation.
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