Holidays have always been known to affect our consumer culture for many years, but how it all began eludes many people and very few studies have been completed on it. Even though some say that the subject is too broad to precisely identify how holidays, especially Christmas, directly affect our market, I have found that people’s values, expectations and rituals related to holidays can cause an excessive amount of spending among our society. Most people are unaware that over the centuries holidays have become such a profitable time of year for industries that they now starting to promote gift ideas on an average of a month and a half ahead of actual holiday dates to meet consumer demands.
Religions influences on consumer’s behavioral spending habits have drastically changed throughout the past centuries. Christian’s rituals of holidays such as Christmas were once only demonstrated by worshipping God and attending Church Masses and services in early years. Their behavioral habits can be understood by their spiritual philosophy of the spirit, God. Hegal, a philosopher, argued that “spirit” represented the essence of freedom, distinguishable from the individual “self.” (Lindridge 2005). This belief prompted people to focus more intently on their religion then on the actual idea of buying gifts for the holidays. Christianity worship particularly was a time that was meant to set a time away from the markets or business’ and a time for one’s soul to repent. Often time services would be held for worship, not only Sundays and holidays, but as well two to three other days during the working week. This custom lasted for many years among the religious groups while the markets struggled to stay productive.
Fairs, markets, a...
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...olibrary.com retrieved August 1, 2008.
Matthew Kirdahy (November 2006) – Happy Holidays? Consumer Spending Rebounds – Forbes
Magazine from: www.forbes.com retrieved August 21, 2008.
Christian E. Weller ( December 2006) – Consumer Debt: A Christmas Story; Retail Spending
May Slump This Holiday Season from: www.americanprogress.com retrieved August 21, 2008.
Annie Leonard (December 2007) – The Story of Stuff: free video unmask consumer culture from
www.energybulletin.net retrieved August 21, 2008.
Elizabeth H. Pleck – Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals
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Picture 3: A Coca-Cola Ad from 1936
Picture 2: A New York Cathedral
Note 1: Courtesy of www.wikitravel.org
Picture 1: Melaka Christian churchyard filled with merchants.
...he holiday season. No imaginable Supreme Court is going to create obstacles to this consumer juggernaut. Nor is any Jewish group or Islamic group likely to finance a test case to bring down Christmas. They too are merchants" (p. 28-29).
For decades, stores have opened their doors in the wee hours of the morning on the fabulous Black Friday. In recent years, however, the “early-bird special” concept changed when many major chains from Target to Toys R Us opened on Thanksgiving Day itself, turning the best shopping day of the year into a two-day celebration. This is quite disturbing to some because man...
Those of us, who believe in Jesus, decide to set a date aside I honour
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts” (Merry). J.L.W. Brooks made an honest evaluation of what this season should truly be about. Buried in commercialism, many people have lost sight of the origins and significance of Christmas. For some, it is a time for celebrating the Son of God, Jesus Christ, being born into the world. But, where did the celebration of benevolence and giving originate? Nikolaos of Myra, or Saint Nicholas, was a true exemplar of generosity and it was his acts in third century Eastern Europe that evolved into the modern Christmas holiday. Nicholas was a patron, a provider, and a protector of the people. The difference he made was so momentous that his legend is still celebrated throughout
We live in a world where everything revolves around materialism. A trip to a local shopping center or a few minutes browsing television shows provide strong evidence of reliance on materialistic possessions. This reality prevails in most areas of today's social fabric. In the article, "In Defense of Materialism During This Busy Holiday Season", Jay Ambrose points out that materialism has a positive effect on humans. Although Ambrose believes that materialism is a catalyst for development, it proves to be more detrimental than beneficial. Materialistic people tend to become less likely to work hard. It has created an illusory persona based on what they own rather than who they are. Materialism not only affects an individual, but affects the environment as well.
“What is the reason for the season?” I constantly hear family and friends use this saying to remind people that Jesus’ birth is why we celebrate Christmas. Although some people remember that Jesus came into the world on that day, most people have forgotten the true meaning. Thousands of Americans just look at Christmas as an opportunity to receive presents, shop, hang out with friends and family, or eat. Retailers just look at it as a way to make extra money. Few people see the real meaning. Our culture has gone so far as to say “Merry X-mas” or “Happy Holidays” just to take Christ out of Christmas and avoid offending anyone. The way Christmas has changed over the years is displayed by the change in history, current-day U.S.A, and my own life.
Consumer culture has developed over the years for many different reasons such as the demise of the social class and embourgeoisement which are both key factors in capitalism and has therefore led to the argument that consumer society merely reflects the rise of capitalism which I plan to discuss within this assignment. The origins of consumer culture have been discussed by Grant McCracken (1998) who argues that there is minimal agreement in regards to the origins of consumer society. McCracken took on the viewpoint that it would not be beneficial to look at a specific point in time in which consumer culture arose but to primarily focus on patterns of changes within culture and how these pattern of changes led to the reformation of society.
Black Friday is severely hurting the family’s holiday relationships. Originally, this day was created to allow consumers
In The Rise of Consumer Society in Britain, John Benson identifies consumer societies as those "in which choice and credit are readily available, in which social value is defined in terms of purchasing power and material possessions, and in which there is a desire, above all, for that which is new, modern, exciting and fashionable." For decades research on the history of consumerism had been winding the clock up to the nineteenth century as the starting point of a culture of consumption that fits Benson’s description. For societies like these to exist, there needed to be a fair portion of the population with enough money to purchase goods beyond daily necessities; there needed to be powerful productive forces to make enough goods available and allow for new strategies of marketing and selling; there also needed to be a tendency among people to start investing social meanings and emotions in the acquisition of goods. Industrialization, these histories tell us, prepared the ground for a consumer culture to develop thanks to malleable markets, large production lines, rise of shopping, advertising, marketing, etc.
Mooij, M.de. (2004). Consumer Behavior and Culture, Sage Publications, Page 102, Page 119, Page 274, Page 275
Black Friday is deemed as one of the biggest shopping days of the year as it represents the beginning of the Christmas shopping span. During this sale period, retailers offer phenomenal discounts and deals to boost people begin their shopping in the forefront up to Xmas. It is also touted as the busiest buying day of the year. From beds to home appliances- all types of products go on sale, and kitchenware is the greatest attraction for shoppers yearning to refurbish their apartments. And if you are on the lookout for a new mattress, this years Cyber Monday and Black Friday can offer magnificent savings.
I was very surprised to find that Christmas, what I thought was an American holiday, is actually a celebration observed in many countries around the world, including the country of Uganda (“Uganda”). Since Christmas is an important holiday to me, and is commonly observed in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to learn about other cultures’ Christmas traditions and celebrations.
“The Story of Stuff” is a 20 minutes documentary film made by Annie Leonard. It was published in 2007. Within the 20 minutes time frame, Annie Leonard had conveyed the message about the problems in consumption of different things and stuff. She has shown how everything is linked and connected with each other such as the environmental problems are linked with the social justice and these issues are linked with declining happiness. Furthermore, her short documentary showed how government is being threatened by the corporations when it comes to the protecting of common goods. “Leonard’s videos aren’t all critique—she almost always ends on an inspirational note, empowering viewers to stand up and demand a clean earth and fair economy. But her latest video focuses on the cumulative effect of these actions: changing the goal of the economic game itself.” (Annie Leonard and the Story of Solutions)
As I skim through the Chadwick’s mail-order catalog, I come across a woman, who looks as if she is in her mid-thirties, standing outside on the snow-covered ground. Her gloved hand is arched back in a ready-to-throw position with a snowball resting in her palm. The woman is wearing a ¾ length gray wool coat and black leather gloves, which catches my eye. The serene, white-topped leaves of the pine trees lean in different directions, waiting for spring to arrive. “Winter is a breeze if you buy this coat” is the message I receive from this friendly-gestured woman. This warm, easy feeling especially comes into play during the holiday season when we buy gifts for our friends and family.