If you’re an American, it’s likely you’ll end the year celebrating the country’s most widespread holiday: Christmas.

Christmas is a magical time of the year. For Christians, it’s a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  For everyone, it’s a time to put your best foot forward. Bad feelings are momentarily put aside, reunions are had and charity work is accomplished. It’s during the giving season that our society’s collective kindness is on display.

And what giving season would be complete without presents? Because the best way to celebrate Christ’s birth is to buy things and exchange them among ourselves. Ironically, Jesus is also the same person who said we should abandon our worldly possessions and give to the poor.

In the Gospel Matthew 19:21 Jesus is believed to have said: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Christmas as a holiday has long been divorced from its religious history. It’s become a secular holiday, and what we’re celebrating now is consumption.

The average American will spend about $967 on gifts this year, according to Investopedia. That’s money that many don’t have. A recent report conducted by the United Nations on the state of poverty in the United States shows how much Americans are financially hurting, but people still seem to feel obligated to participate in Christmas.

The reason why people do this is simple and widely acknowledged, but rarely verbalized. Our society is not Christian, and we do not worship Jesus Christ or the Judeo-Christian God. What we do worship is consumerism. We worship the gross excesses of capitalism, and Christmas is a time when we show love for both ourselves and others by buying things.

The switch from spiritual religion to consumerism is due to relentless proselytization at the hands of capitalist preachers. Advertisers will tell you in direct terms what you need to actualize yourself. Celebrities and the culture around them show the potential lifestyle of the true believers. We view material possessions in terms of status, and as a result, we’re never satisfied.

We indoctrinate children into consumption during the yearly ritual of Christmas. We’re pressured by the imagined expectations of those around us to purchase the biggest and most coveted gifts. Every year, people rush to get the shiniest, coolest new things — only to later abandon them.

The perpetual growth of consumption is unsustainable — both for the economy and the planet — and this is not uncommon knowledge. But we’re not doing anything about it because ritualized consumption is so deeply embedded in our society.

Perhaps it’d be a better celebration of Jesus’ legacy to oust the merchants from the holiday season, as he once did.

Sam Norton is a senior advertising and psychology dual major. He can be reached at sanorton@syr.edu.

Published on December 24, 2017 at 5:22 pm