Why We Need a War on Christmas

[@OurChangingClimate]

💡 Do you celebrate anything in December? If so, how do you celebrate? 👍 Consider commenting and liking the video!!! It really helps this video beat the pesky algorithm! 🔗Get access to bonus, ad-free OCC content with CuriosityStream AND Nebula for 42% off using the code "occ": curiositystream.com/occ

[@philipm3173]

Please for the love of god change this title. I clearly haven't seen this yet and I'm sure most of it will be quite accurate but can you honestly expect your stance to get any kind of positive reception? All something like this does is alienate people mot just from this but to causes they're closer to supporting.

[@philipm3173]

"Why we need to move beyond a hollow celebration of consumerism" "Why we need to stop cutting down tree just because" "How we can move toward a more substantial and meaningful practice of gift giving" Like I get that these aren't particularly clickbaity but if a catchy title supersedes a helpful approach to broaching these topics is it really worth it?

[@philipm3173]

Maybe a comparative analysis of capitalists to the grinch?

[@AllExistenceItself]

I made a "Halloween For Christmas" Movement.

[@everyrose3225]

Here in Latinoamérica we celebrate also with presents and a big dinner, but I think we don’t spend so much money, for obvious reasons (not rich countries) and because our thinking is still in the past decades, with those financial struggles, youngest parents tend to spend more money

[@paulsdomainuk]

We changed how we celebrate christmas recently. The amazing thing is - I thought it would be hard to convince my family to change things, but it wasn't at all - they hated the grind of it as much as I did. We have basically abandoned present giving in favour of a 'secret santa' for the family. Everyone gets one gift, £20 limit on cost. We've gone from spending £500 EACH on gifts, to £20 each. We focus on the important things - enjoying the time together, enjoying good food and playing games. This is the stuff thats important - present giving is a harmful distraction that leaves everyone exhausted and broke by the time they're sitting down to christmas dinner.

[@ddias85]

Actually same here. It was an idea started by my brother-in-law, and it caught on pretty well. Well, with the exception of the kids in the family, they still get more than present. But for the adults in general, this has reduced a lot of stress in the holiday season and helped on some very handy savings as well. Plus, there is actually some thought on the gift that you receive, so it is increases the likelihood of being useful and something that you'll cherish :)

[@favb7931]

I'm stealing this idea for christmas

[@doriangray2001]

I wonder how much money one has to have to spend 500£ on a Xmas gift. No wonder it was unsustainable.

[@SeeNickView]

I feel like this is a good first step to move away from the nuclear-family, high-cost tradition of Christmas in the past. It holds on to the capitalist part, but minimizes it instead of rejecting it. And that minimization, over time, may mean that your family doesn't do the gift thing at all in the future! Happy holidays, hope everyone stays safe. See you in the streets! Lol

[@ddias85]

@@doriangray2001 i believe he was saying that everybody was spending around 500 in total for presents on the family. If you have 20 to 30 people in the family gathering, it is not that far fetched. We were 16 before the kids started bringing their wives... and soon enough their kids as well

[@raccoonfederation]

I celebrate Hanukkah. A lot of people think presents are a traditional part of the holiday. The only traditional gift is actually money, usually given from older generation to the younger. Hanukkah in the US especially though increasingly became influenced by the American traditions of giving presents and the cultural influence that giving money is improper/“tacky”

[@julietardos5044]

Yeah, you can keep your gift giving. I just want latkes.

[@515aleon]

I celebrate Hanukkah more so than Christmas, To me it has less baggage (family background further back is Jewish--I was brought up Christian--and am not one anymore). It's just more fun a lot more meaningful to me. I never have gotten into gift giving though. I eat the latkes, light the candle, etc.

[@feckoslovakia]

I first encountered this video in December last year. I stuck it in the watch later but unfortunately it was well into the new year before I got through all the preceding videos, and by then I’d moved onto other things and didn’t wanna think about Christmas. So I’ve saved this here and now I can watch it!!

[@Dexter01992]

This will be our 3rd year in a row that my family agreed altogether to not gift anything that isn't some home made thingy to each other, with the exception of the kids which will get some toys. No one feels awkward for not having bought something for someone, no one feels the worry of buying something useless to the other. Not because we can't afford it, but because we all agree that nowadays chrismas gifts have become a source of stress and a waste of time that adds nothing to each other's love and support. We provide such support and love all year when anyone needs it, and we know it. No need to be reminded through some physical object because some celebration forces us to.

[@user-wv9zk2ni6i]

Working years in retail completely changed my view of Christmas from how I saw it as a kid. I’ve watched people fight over Black Friday deals; canvassing over the store on Christmas Eve, trying to find last minute gifts and getting mad because we don’t have anything in the correct size left or complain about the skin color of a doll.. the only one we had left of that type, because it didn’t look like her granddaughter… Parents telling me they have to buy gifts for their kids so they don’t feel left out even though they can’t afford it…. It’s absolute insanity. I want nothing to do with it now. People call me Scrooge and I don’t care.

[@mrmaniac3]

Looks like Santa Claus has found himself on the naughty list. It's time to be a good boy Mister Claus.

[@FrancoisLandryCorbin]

For almost 15 years, my immediate family and I no longer give gifts to each other. We just enjoy time together and eat good home-made food. Nothing more than this is needed to be happy.

[@jessegee179]

Maybe expand Carol singing, to be more inclusive, playing music together as a family or community, with homemade instruments, and a simple dance. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just joyful and heart warming 🥰

[@KarolaTea]

Wow, this is the first time I heard about those public revelry! (But I'm from Europe, dunno if things were the same here) I know several places where public drinking and begging is illegal now... so seems like John Pintard got his will in the end :/ Your vision of Christmas sounds like the way New Year's is celebrated (or at least the way I know it to be celebrated). Some people spend/waste a lot of money on fireworks that then litter the streets, but aside from that it's just about hanging out with friends/family and then going outside the greet the new year and the neighbours. It's the only December holiday I celebrate now, though usually just with friends inside. My family mainly celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday, though a lot of cultural traditions were also obseved. But my parents always had a rule that only a few members of the extended family were allowed to gift to children, and I'm guessing they also checked what was gifted. I'm not strictly against people giving gifts, seeing it's very important to some people emotionally. But like... please make sure your gift is *actually* needed. Imo the best gift is socks, because 1. almost everybody wears sock 2. they tend to wear through quite quickly, so you'll need some new ones eventually 3. they're usually cover a wide size range, so you don't need to find a perfect fit 4. they're usually not seen, so personal taste is kinda irrelevant 5. but if you know the person well you can find a nice pattern they might like, so you can show them it's actually a thoughtful gift. Food is also a good one, if you know what the person likes. It'll be eaten instead of other food the person would need to buy themselves, creating no additional demand, and it won't leave any clutter to fill shelves/landfills.

[@lapiswolf2780]

This is the first time I've seen a video(with a goal of saying how capitalism affected something) that doesn't overtly talk about trying to wring religion out of something already secularized.

[@soymilkman]

Using newspaper to wrap presents will always be top tier

[@fionaanderson5796]

I prefer sewing cloth bags that can be used for grocery shopping, or smaller drawstring bags, also reuseable. It depends on your skills, resources, and the recipient.

[@O1OO1O1]

I prefer not giving gifts. Saves newspaper

[@dhunter8286]

We have a colorful selection of fabric for wrapping that gets packed away for the year after

[@O1OO1O1]

@@dhunter8286 what do you use to hold the fabric wrapping together? sticky tape or something else?

[@how-to-live-right]

@@fionaanderson5796 these bags are not recyclable, not better than plastic, another garbage

[@fletchoid]

When my children were attending post secondary school, and were living in near poverty conditions, they would get extremely stressed about Christmas, and their "obligations" to give gifts to everyone. They would buy things on credit, and end up practically starving in the New Year. I decided that they were no longer allowed to buy me gifts for Christmas. I encouraged them to make me special treats instead of gifts. Cookies, Christmas snacks, or crafts like a photo collage of them for me to look at when they were off at school, etc. When they were older and had jobs and decent incomes, we all decided that none of us really needed more stuff. We saw that there were many people in our community that were in desperate need of stuff, and food. We decided that we would celebrate the Christian holiday, by giving to Food Banks, Mission Services, or other charities that helped people who were not as lucky as us. We still buy presents for children, who need things like clothing and when very young, toys. No more "World Best Dad or Grandpa" mugs for me.

[@universe1879]

that's the actual Christmas spirit (at least in the spirit of Charles Dickens)

[@jess57565]

i totally get this. my grocery bills near and after christmas always have to be incredibly small cause i don’t have enough to cover groceries AND presents

[@asthmatictuna]

Yep I save up all year to give to charities at xmas time. Much rather give to people and causes that really need it rather than spending it on needless excess.

[@yelir64]

How wholesome. I'm not religious, but that's how the christmas spirit should be

[@yandespar3490]

As a non-american, the idea of indebting yourself just so you can buy presents for Christmas sounds crazy

[@NotPearse]

it is, this video is fake and was made by the grinch

[@8pija22]

indenting yourself?

[@nishiljaiswal2216]

@@NotPearse consumerism has rotten your brains

[@ambeegaming76]

Really tho! So many people "HATE" Christmas and when you ask them why they tell you it's too expensive. I simply tell them well don't spend as much and they look at me like a Jellyfish Alien.

[@yandespar3490]

@@8pija22 indebting,

[@gregorycarlson6445]

I generally hate clutter in my home so I told my family and friends to please just give me food or other consumable gifts like soap or whatever. Unfortunately, everybody straight up refused my request because it didn't feel like a proper gift to them.

[@cloudynguyen6527]

I feel like they don't respect you and their gifting is to satisfy their ideal. Don't get me wrong, some people can love you dearly but still lack the respect or empathy to understand your need as well.

[@gregorycarlson6445]

@@cloudynguyen6527 I suppose they thought that food wasn't expensive enough to count and it often can't be wrapped up and left under the tree. It's just too much of a break from tradition. I think I could convince them to agree if I find something more specific that feels like less of a departure from the norm.

[@_blank-_]

Ask them to use the rest of the money for a charity of your choice or just give you cash 😅

[@KarolYuuki]

@@gregorycarlson6445 Maybe everyone makes a list with things that they really want/need, and family members buy from there? At least you would be getting things that you will actually use

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

@Gregory Carlson But food can be expensive if they want to give you something fancy

[@wolvykasu8373]

this year, my father asked me what I wanted for christmas and I said I wanted pear trees and he got so confused since I cant have or plant them in winter. Just told him that he can buy them later but these have to be ordered at this time of the year. might take a couple of years to have pears, but I'll get pears at some point. then I can make him pies and deserts and he can enjoy these while I enjoy the cooking part. I really loved to make apple pie this year and I decided that slowly, but surely, I'll make myself a food forest so I can make pies of all sorts for the holidays.

[@Farimira]

In a few years you could add a partridge ;)

[@KarolYuuki]

Omg, that's lovely

[@albertogonzalez7631]

Ahhh the weedy garden would be proud

[@kellywalker1664]

Forward thinking x10.

[@m998hmmwv7]

That's actually a good idea

[@devynelliot8839]

As someone who's a horrendous gift giver (I'm quite bad at it unless I'm told exactly what to get), Christmas is PEAK stress. The past two years, I've stuck to giving small gifts, many homemade. My cousins and siblings have all agreed to not purchase anything for one another. It's honestly helped. This year, I've also been saving Trader Joe's holiday bags to reuse for presents and shredded paper as packing materials 😂

[@janinawaz4596]

Hard agree. I hated the forced shopping AND the deluge of gifts ever since I was a tiny kid. (I craved experiences, music, and befriending animals. Not toys.) In my late teens I started giving home made preserves, or gifts like tickets to a museum. I quickly learned that people who insist on a bigger more materialistic gift exchange will get offended by your meager offering and scratch you off their holiday gift list. Win-win as far as I'm concerned. I haven't exchanged a big holiday gift for over 20 years now.

[@fllnthblnks9681]

I like the idea of shredded paper as packing material. Now all my loved ones are complicit in my tax fraud.

[@christinearmington]

Well done 👍🎄✨

[@MyDarkMuffin]

You actually don't have to make any gifts, just saying.

[@Stryfe52]

That’s because you’ve been doing it all wrong; Santa is the one who gives the presents silly! You don’t have to do Santa’s job, but it is very kind of you. I never have to do something like that to be put on the Nice list, though - just don’t be naughty!

[@jaysh0on]

A little late, I contributed a lot to consumerism this year, but I also want to suggest a Chinese tradition of giving Red Envelopes for Christmas instead of presents. They allow kids to buy what they really need/want and is done through a family gathering with lots of food.

[@Farimira]

Not chinese at all but growing up usually the $10 - $20 notes in a card were the best presents

[@planefan082]

My family's always done this unless they know someone has a specific item on their wishlist. Works great and eases stress without people ending up with unwanted waste.

[@Farimira]

@aishen just use a Christmas card instead of a red envelope :)

[@_blank-_]

@aishen 😐

[@Zowiettr]

instead we encourage the chinese tradition of buying from amazon and chinese sweat shops

[@sbel6626]

One of my favourite ways to ask for a present is "If I can't eat it, smoke it or drink it, I don't want it." People really underestimate giving consumables as food. Doubly so if they're homemade.

[@slevinchannel7589]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJO9oGeuZbOVmKs

[@tabithaalphess2115]

No kidding. My default Christmas gift is homemade cookies. Come December, I have an annual baking of the Christmas cookies and give out loads to friends and family. They're pretty popular

[@dandylandpuffplaysminecraf8744]

I collected pinecones in the park and painted them white and gold. Then glued a string on them for homemade ornaments. The glue and paint were on hand except I did buy the gold paint.

[@E10979]

Smoke it, now we're talking

[@Masterchief_Tito]

I dont want food as a gift

[@audreyluan5325]

My family and I have changed how we do Christmas. Instead of randomly giving each other 'surprise' gifts, we give each other of list of things we actually want for Christmas. The person who is giving the gifts then randomly selects one or two items out of the entire list to get for the receiver. That way, we don't buy things we don't need or create a lot of unnecessary waste and the element of surprise is still there. Also, this Christmas, I'm planning on taking my family out to explore the city and go watch a movie in the theaters since we value experiences over material items.

[@petalleaf2808]

That's what I do with my sisters as well! Honestly it is way better since you're giving a gift that they actually want or need, instead of having to guess and it'll be a present they might not end up using. And I agree that the element of surprise is still there too!

[@Azarko212]

My family also does this. I brought up the idea last Christmas and they did it again this year so I’m glad it worked out for us

[@Selestrielle]

There's a kind of mythos surrounding gift giving that portrays "knowing what others want" as some kind of virtue because it supposedly proves that you care a lot for the other person. But realistically, unless you have a very tight knit family or circle of friends, there's a good chance you won't know exactly what someone wants beyond superficial interests like "Mike loves Star Wars" or "Dana is a baker." I wish asking for a gift idea list was more normalized instead of the "surprise" gift thing. Personally, I find it brings me closer to the person I'm buying a present for. I would have never guessed that Mike also loves poetry books, and Dana's been wanting to take up woodworking.

[@mynameisreallycool1]

I think a lot of families do this (mine do with holidays like Eid). The only problem is that many of us seem to never be able to figure out what we actually want when we make a list or someone asks us. Lol I'm definitely guilty of being that person.

[@collinossman8046]

@@Selestrielle I think it's more normalized than people think, of course it's not the norm, but my family and a few other families that I know would never just buy random stuff that they weren't sure were going to be used; they always ask for a large list, so they can choose 1 or 2 things from it and it still be a bit of a surprise, while being something that you actually wanted

[@caiden3396]

Holidays are often treated as rules or orders people have been trained to believe they're supposed to follow or execute annually in relation to a calendar without understanding of them or their purpose and without necessarily valuing them. That's not to say traditions are necessarily bad, though.

[@NotreDanish]

In my opinion, a tradition has no value if you don’t understand why you’re doing it. Because it’s lost its meaning

[@kipincharge2833]

and to think this originates from Saturnilia the 12 day celebration of the Winter Solstice and 12 days of MIS RULE 😝😃😛🤣🤣🤣 don't let the good American SLAVES get any ideas🙈🙉🙊

[@huhhuh9598]

@@NotreDanish Essentially the difference between following or conforming to a norm, versus making a tradition and heritage truly yours?

[@philipm3173]

A common issue I notice with this type of content is that it resonates with someone like myself who already share the sentiment of visceral disgust toward needless and extreme waste, but its likely to simply alienate those not there yet. They might have been quite receptive if the argument and exposition was posed in a different way. You can try to reason all you want but the crux of the matter is that this is an emotional issue. People like Christmas because they associate it with bonding with the family. So talking about presents and how you're being duped, etc. It just sounds like "yeah I used to be a dumb kid then I grew up, I'm too smart to be duped into buying junk like you fools", even though it's well researched and formulated.

[@JCarrera27]

Noo why do you want to take away our instant gratification and save us debts, making kids spoiled and show off their gifts, making poor kids feel jealous and recentfull, etc etc 🤡

[@oliverc1293]

Very well said.

[@noah_the_nerd]

Agreed 👍 More importantly; the festivity of Christmas and the consumerism of Christmas can be had separately, and we should be careful which part we criticize. By saying "we need a war on Christmas" or "you're doing Christmas wrong", you attack a person's idea of their childhood, which is more likely to put them on the defensive than to leave them receptive of your opinions. Haven't we seen already how "eat less red meat" has been twisted into "they want to take away our hamburgers"? Rather, I think it's good to address the issue at it's core; encourage people to be less consumerist overall, encourage them to focus on the festive origins of Christmas, and let them decide how many gifts they want to buy (hopefully a bit less than last year)

[@oliverc1293]

@@noah_the_nerd Also, buy experiences and sustainable gifts, including second-hand items - not just toys and tat!

[@matthewsaunders4820]

You can say that about anything people have an emotional attachment with. Doesn't mean it isn't important to say. Also, I think you're interpreting it to be condescending because you have a condescending view of most people. People are more open minded than you think.

[@p.moorewilson7917]

I really appreciated this post! I’ve been paring back for years now: I don’t buy wrap; I use cut-up paper bags and a bit of real 100% biodegradable wool for tying the presents together (which actually looks quite pretty AND the brown paper can be recycled). I am making more gifts and buying less. I also buy secondhand gifts - especially books - that are in excellent condition. I love the idea of ‘experience’ gifts and have been sitting here mulling over what lovely experiences I might offer my loved ones. I am 60 years old and I loved (and bought into) the whole ‘Santa’ thing as much as anyone. But it’s never too late to do better and to be better. NOT encouraging the capitalistic retail companies would just be a great bonus...

[@barefootanimist]

Personally, I appreciate the aesthetic of brown paper and twine, and am alone in my family for wanting to seek deeper experiences and meaning for the Solstice, than the mindless exchange of gifts.

[@MissAppolonia]

I've become a big supporter of the Japanese concept of furoshiki which is about wrapping things in cloth. The person not only gets a present, they also get the pretty cloth. My friends either than have reused them as wrapping, or used them as scarfs/headbands. But, I also like a nice-looking bag that is used to transfer gifts over and over.

[@barefootanimist]

@@MissAppolonia There was a time when people loved reusable bags. My aunt probably still has a number of them.

[@21kaduku]

Watching this while stressing out about buying presents for people. I hate buying gifts, and I hate receiving them, except for from a few people. I wish this time of year was different. It's not magical, it's just commodified nostalgia half the time

[@christinearmington]

Commodified nostalgia. Great phrase! 🎉

[@jjradV]

Kaduka21, you are certainly not alone,I think most people feel this way but never speak up. I hope people choose to have a cruelty free Christmas,instead of eating dead animals that did not want to die choose wonderful vegan alternatives,no one has to suffer and die because of your food choices. Peace and goodwill towards all beings !

[@MankindDiary]

"I hate buying gifts" Have you tried like... I don't know... NOT BUYING THEM? Like c'mon, is anyone pulling a gun on you to buy stuff?

[@alexsiemers7898]

@@MankindDiary I’ve literally had my parents financially pressure me into being a part of holiday activities. So not quite a gun, but the social pressure is definitely there

[@MankindDiary]

@@alexsiemers7898 I wouldn't call that "social pressure", it is more of a "family pressure", coming from a family cell that I wouldn't call too healthy.

[@pennyzee1176]

I'm so glad to see I'm not alone feeling this way about US holidays. I've gotten really jaded towards all the consumerism and waste. My wife and I stopped giving gifts years ago as we don't need anything we don't get for ourselves. I'm honestly ashamed of how I celebrated all these holidays in the past. It is all just dopamine hits. And the memories I really remember and cherish are those interpersonal ones. Being with people. The love and laughs. I probably remember .01% of the gifts I've received over the years.

[@waytoobiased]

I got a ukulele last Christmas, and I remember that, because I play it loads But that’s different than relentless capitalism

[@pennyzee1176]

@@waytoobiased That’s a great gift! I’m not against all gifts. We all need things that bring us joy. A ukulele is a delightful thing to give or receive. It’ll last ages and give you joy. I dislike throwaway gifts. Single use plastic stuff. Things to just give a gift without the person needing it. My wife and I give each other a few gifts for our birthdays. I usually draw her something special and she might give me a book. Very chill.

[@andrewcoleman7575]

I started telling people to donate half of whatever they were gonna spend to mental health charities. I love Christmas, the snow the lights the trees....gifts are secondary to time with family(food is also ahead of presents 😁)

[@eminebir2161]

Since my childhood in the 80`s all kinds of celebration went crazy, including birthdays, weddings, baby showers, seems like capitalism finds a way to get you spending with social shaming. My childhood birthdays were celebrated with a homemade cake and simple, useful gifts such as socks and pencils. I am not against giving gifts to children but gift giving and decorating got out of control worldwide.

[@GTAVictor9128]

Tell me about it! I live in Ireland, and apparently Irish people spend more on Christmas decorations than any other EU country - which seems correctly since even though I live out in the countryside, one of the houses nextdoor is so decked out with decorations than it looks like a full-blown airport for Santa to land on.

[@debbiehenri345]

I noticed the same. I was in my teens in the 80's and remember a childhood where your Christmas presents would either all fit in a sock or in a pillowcase. And yes, practicality was definitely the 'main' theme - socks, a woolly hat and scarf set, bubble bath and soap (now considered bad taste!). The 'excesses' would be chocs, coloured pencils, and coins and stamps for my collections. We never celebrated Halloween at all back then. None of us kids trolled the streets trick or treating. Now the shops are full of tacky plastic costumes only fit to last one use. The first time I heard the term 'baby shower' was in an episode of Friends, and hadn't a clue what it was about. This year, I found a Thanksgiving card...I live in the UK. What on Earth do we want to start celebrating Thanksgiving Day for? I find it totally irrelevant to keep introducing new festivals that have nothing to do with a country's 'original' culture.

[@eelvis1674]

My family and I have stopped exchanging gifts on Christmas, instead we all just contribute by buying food and drink that we can all share + maybe a new board game. I highly recommend others to do the same. It's much less wasteful as you know you will actually use everything bought. And on top of that, all of the things you buy focus you on spending and enjoying time with your family rather than on the gifts themselves. The money saved means you can splash on more expensive food/drink which is already an important part of the holiday. And then on boxing day we go out and spend time with family friends, eat and drink with them, play games etc. We still buy each other gifts on birthdays however, as a birthday is a more personal day it makes more sense to give gifts than on Christmas which (imo) should be focused on group merriment. And because you buy fewer presents for people in general (once per year instead of two) the gifts you give can be more meaningful, and more valuable monetarily - again cutting down on waste. Since we started this tradition years ago, I have yet to receive a single gift from anybody in my household which I never used, or threw out or returned or regifted etc.

[@rabindramishra00]

I so agree with this! And it’s not just in the US, though the Capitalist takeover of festivals is the strongest here, it’s the case in other parts of the world as well. In India businesses have turned festivals like Diwali and Dusherra into occasions to sell as much as they can. Ads run every where encouraging people to buy, buy and buy! We need to get back to simpler ways to celebrate festivals that encourages family and friendships time over anything else!

[@slevinchannel7589]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJO9oGeuZbOVmKs

[@warrioroflight6872]

True as that may be, there's never going to be a society where people don't care about money. It's human nature. That's why even in the so-called Communist societies, which claimed to decry the evils of greed, always ended up with the leaders hoarding the wealth for themselves and completely ignoring the contradictions of their ideology. And of course, that sort of thing still happens today in China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. Money is power, and power corrupts. You deposit stacks of cash into anyone's bank account, and I promise you that regardless of what they were saying before, very few people will actually give it all up because they truly only value the relationships they have with others and couldn't care less about wealth. Course, there's no reason why you can't have both wealth and love, but still, it's often hard to keep the balance.

[@jose.montojah]

A war on christmas is a war on modernist American nationalist mercantilist culture. Thanks!

[@oscarosullivan4513]

Agreed

[@ahemadzuheb]

@@oscarosullivan4513 Agreed, especially after The rise of internet and E-commerce, they're doing Same here Making Everything the festival of consumerism and promoting gift-giving like it's a tradition

[@roberthoople]

Used Gifts are a tradition I started a few years ago. Whether it's something I already have or something I get (for cheap) at a thrift store, they're almost always more of a hit than anything I could have bought spending hours in Walmart shopping. Many times I've been able to get people something high quality and normally out of budget if it were brand new, like appliances, art and even furniture.

[@MindEyeMediaVR]

To be fair, capitalism has taken over every holiday we celebrate. The extent of takeover is largely dependent on how much revenue can be generated by the holiday in question.

[@FairMiles]

And promoted or even invented others to fill the rest of the year (e.g., Friendship Day)…

[@purpleicewitch6349]

This is true, and is why it's so important to decolonize and take back our holidays including finding ways to celebrate them that don't revolve around buying things.

[@marvin2678]

@@purpleicewitch6349 decolonize ?

[@_blank-_]

@@marvin2678 Trendy buzzword

[@jessip8654]

At least you can opt out of some holidays. Few people are going to get mad if you don't celebrate Halloween, or limit it to just a box of candy for the local kids. It's really hard to opt out of Christmas, the culture literally strong-arms you into celebrating it.

[@UrdnotChuckles]

Christianity co-opted their celebration from paganism and the like, so one could say it is ironic that said celebration wound up being co-opted by capitalism. As for the modern secular bit at the end, pretty much everyone I know already just hangs out with friends, has parties, shares food, makes art, and maybe sends out a few cards or something. :)

[@Jason-Skywalker]

Exactly. It baffles me to this day that people see Christmas as a "Christian" holiday. There's nothing "Christ-like" about it, and was even condemned by the Church long ago.

[@che3se1495]

Yeah, if you look at the bible, you can figure out he was certainly not born on Christmas. Most traditional Christmas festivities have nothing to do with Christianity.

[@stephenleaf3848]

To say Christmas (or more accurately December 25th) is a Christian Holiday just makes me want to point to all of the evidence against this theory. All the traditions taken from non-Christian religions, the fact the day of his birth very obviously does not correspond with the holiday. The Christian religion overwrote the holiday of Yule(among possibly others) as another way to enact their rule or dominance. The only thing “Christian” about Christmas, is the name and fact they decided to make this day the birthdate of their God.

[@natashaestes154]

THANK YOU!!! My head was nearly exploding at all the "founded in xtianity" nonsense. My family's always done the potlucks, too. That & music. It takes the whole day, more if there's more food prep 😋 To go further, both tellings of the Nativity story contradict each other, that census didn't happen & wouldn't happen that way if it did, the slaughter of the innocents doesn't happen, when various people ruled doesn't match up, birth would've been in the spring, etc. The suggested stuff at the end is actually taking xmas back to its roots.

[@stephenleaf3848]

That sounds like loads of fun. I stopped buying presents after I warned my family if they didn’t tell me what they wanted they wouldn’t get anything. They never did and still never have. After a while I asked them to stop buying me things, telling them instead I only wanted their company and good food. I kept getting told every year I didn’t buy presents and such and would always get told I would once I had kids. My oldest is 6 and the thing they most look forward to is the edible garland we decorate the tree with along with the family time we do. Play games, watch music bake. We mark the 25th as a true family day where we try to spend as much time together as possible and include our kids in all we do, more so than usual. More recently we’ve started trying to get them to donate toys they are no longer playing with. To make room for others they’ll be purchasing with their chore money in the next year. This was inspired by a tradition of a Christmas witch.

[@adrianlajas5336]

We have 5 children. We decided years ago to stick to this motto... "Something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need." It can still get expensive but it's limiting and wear read and need are things I would be buying at some point regardless

[@JacobLaurenzana]

I don't think getting rid of gift-giving entirely is a solution. There are many unnecessary gifts given for Christmas, so I think just limiting the amount of gifts and only getting gifts people will actually want and will be useful to them is a better idea. I don't think there's any harm in gift-giving if the gifts do not become trash.

[@FiercelyGold]

That's why I lean more towards giving kids cash on their birthdays and a bottle of wine to adults when I do get a chance to celebrate whatever with them. They can always regift the wine next time they're invited into someone's home. I always let them know it's not expensive and from my area, and feel free to open it now or regift later, it's all good. I more or less try to ignore Christmas though, because for me the obligation of mass gift exchanges is non personal and hard to stomach on both ends. I don't want this peppermint lotion you either bought for anyone or are regifting, and I don't want to regift it later either.

[@CampingforCool41]

Haven’t even watched the video yet but I’ve been waiting for this topic. I’m so tired of Christmas. The commercialism of it all, the expectations to buy everyone something. My sister is the worst person to try to get a present before because as soon as she wants something she just buys it. She has everything she needs and wants.

[@friendlyneighbourhoodbridg1354]

My family has reused a plastic tree, wrapping paper, gift boxes and ribbon for several years now and it has been great. We ask each other what we NEED for the coming year and buy that so we don't waste money and resources

[@KizetteandTotoro]

It was never about Jesus. It is a tradition that goes centuries before Christianity (or any other modern religion) was invented. It was always about having a party in the middle of the winter so you had something to get you through the misery of the cold and darkness and having to eat potatoes and cabbage for months on end. But you are right, capitalism turns everything it touches into money or s***t. And we should be more thoughtful about what the things we buy impact the environment.

[@stinkendersahnebacardi3677]

Provokative title but let's see what is hidden behind it.

[@seansmagee]

“Parts of the retail industry make a third of their yearly sales in three months.” So they make 33% of their sales in 25% of the year. Yeah that’s a little high, but not outrageously so.

[@talk9552]

While christmas is a christian holiday, I'd like to add the actual festivities and aesthetics of christmas were actually stolen/borrowed off of pagan celebrations (yule) christmas is technically a holiday that has roots deeper than christianity and is why its celebrated so massively outside of christian circles. The church, back in ye older times, unable to stop people from celebrating things outside of christianity, adopted a lot the traditions in order to give it a christian angle and keep people in line with the faith. Just thought* that I'd add this interesting bit of history to the conversation! :) *edit

[@ringo8410]

Excellent video. I'm torn, because you're 100% correct on all your observations, but I enjoy many of my family's small traditions. What I don't like is being strongarmed or guilted into particular things because "it's a tradition". Finding fulfillment in people rather than things, I think, is the key to the season.

[@eggo9402]

I listened to this podcast called "Calm Christmas" and it made me think about my favorite holiday traditions and what I like about them I'm switching mostly to practicing, performing, and making music with my family and I love that And also walking around the neighborhood and looking at Christmas lights

[@ScarecrOmega]

Baby Showers are just as bad and could be viewed worse as it's all new gifts and decorations for 1 baby, not a whole family of people.

[@MrNeptunebob]

Worse yet, you send the message that if a woman has a baby she will get showered with gifts, which just encourages her to have kids.

[@JosiasLJ1991]

A really interesting video! Something that wasn't mentioned in this video but kinda neatly fits into the narrative is how christian church leaders actually coopted other holiday/religious traditions around the time of the winter solstice in an attempt to spread christianity. By saying Jesus was born on the 25th they were attempting to get heathens and people who had other religious affiliations to adopt their ideas of what they thought the holiday should be about. So Christmas has morphed a lot throughout history with various cultures/leaders/corporations significantly shaping it in an attempt to benefit themselves or align it with their worldviews.

[@UnsortedSeeds]

I'm an atheist, and I don't really celebrate this holiday. I do give some gifts, but they're always either something I've made like ceramics or paintings, or food items like coffee from an indie brand or homemade cookies. The rampant over-consumption and the whinging from christians about the 'war on christmas' just really turned me off to it. That, and all the holiday stuff being put out in the freaking summer. I'm sick of it.

[@kerrynight3271]

The "war on Christmas" was mostly a trumpie thing, wasn't it? Yes, it was incredibly annoying. Also an atheist, I have no religious beliefs about the holiday, but at least it doesn't give me the creeps like Easter does.

[@UjjwalKumar_234]

Glad that somebody in the west is talking about cutting consumption ... the most readily available action towards mitigating climate-change. An average US person consumes 16 to 20 times an average Indian !!

[@Matty002]

disappointing that he just leaves christmas's history to make it seem like it has always been about celebrating jesus's birth and only now about gifts christmas's origin is wild. like there are sects of christians that straight up ban the celebration part because its not in the bible like the word literally means mass for christ, the messiah, jesus. youre supposed to celebrate with prayer and continuing to not sin. it ending up as a materialistic celebration with major decreasing in church attendance is hilarious

[@jekentmenietje]

16:14 pme third of the annual retail sales in 3 months. That's 33% of the sales in 25% of the time. correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not THAT extreme right? Sorry, this statistic just struck me as a little weird.

[@SentientTent]

Yeah, I just got to that part and I was like. 4 months of sales in 3 months? That seems reasonable.

[@sapphicwillterdusque6541]

Using wishlists with specific items that people want while also preserving the surprise element is a good option to avoid unwanted things.

[@bj0rnen]

I was hoping you’d mention how a lot of Christmas traditions, including the date, come from pagan traditions that predate Christianity by thousands of years. There are less wasteful ideas we can glean from those traditions as well as Christianity. I think acknowledging that allows us to see that there are less constraints on how we wish to shape the future of Christmas/Yule/etc. than by just looking at Christian European or earlier US traditions.

[@LemonCurry.]

I must admit I just LOVE giving presents to my relatives. However I don't buy whatever goods in the last minute, but cumulate presents to give throughout the year. Each time something which will (not might) be useful and provide joy to people I know, I either buy it or take a picture to remind me to buy it once I put some more thought on it. Usually those are local products or stuff I find in second hand shops. I wrap my presents in colourful newspaper I also gathered throughout the year and has a symbolic link to the present that's inside. I realise I'm still a victim to consumerism, but I try to make do with what's already here.

[@Brisingirraudhr]

I think that is actually a good compromise. I just hate people going gift shopping just so you have a gift. Me and my girlfriend have gone over to the practice of only buying presents when we find something the other one would really like, instead of going out looking for something to buy just to have a present. Making presents can be a beautiful thing, if done from heart instead of convention.

[@julietardos5044]

Why wait until Christmas to give gifts you spend all year buying? Why not give the gift to the person just because?

[@SharonLougheed]

@@julietardos5044 I figure it's because it's like two gifts in one. I _wish_ I had a celebration filled with gift giving to excitedly look forward to. I know it's not for everyone, but I hope special days like that don't go away. :/

[@129das]

not so much a war but a revolution

[@jadedesigns6171]

I’m Jewish, but the capitalist Christmas has infected Hanukah I don’t want gifts, especially since I get so many gifts on my birthday anyways! I’m not sure how to tell my parents that, this Hanukah they keep getting me little things every night. I don’t want to make them feel bad, I just don’t really want little gifts I have absolutely no use for

[@olbradley]

Try not to immediately antagonize and alienate the majority of your audience for 5 seconds challenge (impossible)

[@doingitwelldotbiz]

My sister and I both work/ed in customer service and were always incredibly stressed and tired by the time Christmas came around. Instead of forcing ourselves to participate in the holiday at a time when all we wanted was a nap, we moved our festivities to Martin Luther King jr. day in January. We dubbed it MLKmas (pronounced milk-mas,) and we would find a few small, usually funny, gifts to give each other and spend the day hanging out in our jim jams on the couch watching movies. The tradition has fallen by the wayside in recent years, but I'm grateful that we felt empowered to reshape the meaning of the holiday season to serve us and the way we lived our lives. I'd like to bring it back for the coming year. Blue monday is said to be the saddest day of the year, when the hangover from holiday excess truly sets in. That could be a good time to inject some fun and frivolity into our lives.

[@anthonyrobertson2011]

I'm just waiting for businesses to start pushing for a mid year Christmas, like in July. I'm surprised they haven't done that already. Places are already putting up decorations even a week before Halloween. The Christmas season is already firmly started the day after Halloween. Making Thanksgiving a secondary part of Christmas. I can remember when nothing went up until Decemeber.

[@MrLense]

I've been gifting experiences over material gifts for years now.

[@sbel6626]

Best present I ever got was concert tickets.

[@masudashizue777]

Christmas should be just about parents buying gifts for children. The excitement of opening presents on Christmas morning as children lasts you the rest of your life.

[@adamspencer3702]

At the ripe old age of 22 I've started to want less and less. I have everything I need and have some money to buy anything else through out the year. All I want on the holidays now is time off and to spend time with friends and family. The only thing I want to buy is a set of espresso cups, they don't even have to be new and I KNOW for a fact I will use them as I am a coffee addict. If you are going to buy something for the holidays, make it something you actually need of know you will use. Other than that, spend time with the people you care most about, and if you do want to gift them, make some cookies or something. People love free food!

[@oliverlineberger6692]

Ebinezer Scrooge out here

[@gweegoop7781]

A few years ago, I started giving to charity in honor of my friends and family in place of physical gifts. Finding a charity that matches someone’s personality is actually way more meaningful than some meaningless product.

[@smileyp4535]

If you can please donate stuff you don't want, people WILL be so greatful

[@nelliesmith5699]

I decided to make my managers a dessert instead of gifts this year and my friends and I are just having a Christmas dinner. My parents wanted nothing but gift vouchers which I thought was great. The only thing I didn’t take into account was my own gifts. My parents went and bought my siblings and I a ton of presents😭 I should have said I wanted vouchers as well. Now I have to reorganise so I can make room for these new items.

[@heater5979]

So how about a "War For Christmas". Save Christmas, revive its original meanings. Celebrating the birth of Christ if you like. Or the original pagan celebration of the turning of winter into summer.

[@ahdr8852]

Agree with everything except that Christmas should not be a Christian holiday, it’s about the celebration of christs birth. Imagine if any religion had their holy holidays taken from them. I feel for the Christian’s

[@crasnicul3371]

you dont really care about coca cola tier "christmas" being about mindless consumerism, you are using it as an excuse to be against Christmas in it's essence.

[@TheBoredPhysicist]

This guy didn't get the present he wanted as a kid.

[@garneybaker]

About 6 years ago, our families agreed to change how we show our love and appreciation of each other, via consumerism. We agreed that the presents that we share with each other would either be hand made by the person presenting it, or a repurposed item. This has brought many new and thoughtful gifts into our families, and developed new skills, such as canning and carpentry. The collection of items that end up as repurposed gifts give the opportunity to make Christmas shopping, a round the months of the year enterprise, with trips to thrift stores or garage sales.

[@rebeccahale322]

How about being brave enough to just do Christmas with common sense..

[@MrNeptunebob]

Can you do a video about what a waste fancy weddings are? I recently was a guest at a wedding reception that cost as much as a house - the next day there is nothing to show for it but a lot of food waste. I learned that it is considered impolite to take home food from a wedding reception even though that food would otherwise end up in a landfill (some people did take food home though). All that money could have bought so much (like down payment on a house) that was gone in just one day.

[@deseraeodell192]

I think it’s important to realize that although the term “Christmas” began as a Christian holiday, it’s not originally Christian and it was taken over by Christian’s to suppress a pagan holiday. The timing of Christmas is important, having lights and evergreen in your home during the winter solstice helps people feel better. Maybe looking back to the true historical traditions of the winter solstice is also a good place to start. That way we can all celebrate a history rich holiday during a time we all could use some extra cheer; without religious pressure nor capitalistic maximalism

[@goatgamer001]

Holidays in the winter season were common in the ancient world so that people were cheered despite the bad weather and often less food. However the holiday of Christmas celebrates something specific, the birth of Jesus Christ in Earth to save us, and it's the second most important holiday of the year just behind Easter. However, according to science, the actual Birth probably happened in spring.

[@goatgamer001]

And I don't mean consumerist 'Christmas'

[@cummerou1]

I just wanted to add that you can still give gifts in a non capitalistic, and even society improving way. For example, giving to charities in someone's name, like local animal shelters, homeless shelters, food banks, charities protecting bio diversity or something else the recipient cares about, many, many charities will give out certificates which can be used as a gift. That way, you can give a gift to someone, but do a good deed at the same time.

[@gmodrules123456789]

Or just give a gift to a loved one like a normal person. Or do both. Idk.

[@m.c.8877]

The gift of basic needs that all humans should have.

[@Beautyaddixion]

@@gmodrules123456789 What is normal?

[@Masterchief_Tito]

I dont like to change christmas this way

[@Masterchief_Tito]

I dont like to change christmas this way

[@neilengel3715]

What's important to INDIVIDUALS is what makes Christmas special and who are YOU to insist they do it YOUR way. Bug off!

[@justbeingkar]

I tried talking my husband into making Christmas a holiday of fun like ice-skating or sledding instead of gifts for our kids....to no avail. The pushback to give gifts to fill our house with stuff is ridiculous

[@toothinm9paste]

I recommend take your husband to couples counseling, from the comment it sounds like your husband wants things a certain way, he should know better that you are also a human being and that you care for him.

[@mxttspl]

@@toothinm9paste Couples counseling for one disagreement is crazy

[@stephanieg5846]

To be be completely honest, I feel like completely abstaining from giving gifts for the children is going a bit to far. Not saying your idea is inherently bad, but I think a better way to go about it is only giving 1 to 2 gifts to your children AND doing a winter activity/

[@nelzelpher7158]

At least she's not suggesting divorce lol@@mxttspl

[@sulomau]

the average american spent 1,447 in a month for holiday shopping?? that's my whole paycheck in a month

[@brianblue8176]

What is frustrating about this channel is that I feel like I'm being told that everything I have learned about everything is wrong. Now what am I supposed to do?

[@rogerwilliams6058]

Stop listening to this channel? They are overstating things.

[@ChoppedChicken]

We are in need of absolutely no more war rethoric. Just say we need to change the way we celebrate christmas. Using battle or war rethoric really doenst make sense considering the habits we need to change to deal with climate change require us to move away from the mentality war rethoric appeals to.

[@forestpagan4813]

The whole point of most holidays is to convince consumers to spend more money. This is how retailers survive. The real problem is that there are way too many retailers..

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

Have you ever tried to buy something in January on, it's like the shortage during the pandemic. Fining anything that is not the basics is difficult. Me: "Do you have those men's motorcycle helmets?" Stores: "Only ones we have left are the neon pink ones size small." me: "Nevermind."

[@lizabethhampton4537]

I've been saying it for a couple years and I'll keep saying it: Christmas needs more ghosts and ghost stories.

[@sbel6626]

My bf and I have a tradition of getting the Ouija board out for Christmas and having a séance.

[@lizabethhampton4537]

@@sbel6626 good tradition, I like it

[@thegreatescape9461]

Heck yeah!!! 🍾👻

[@kishajoanne9381]

I hate that we're made to feel bad for not buying stuff people don't even want. I LOVE giving gifts and I LOVE Christmas but I hate that I feel obliged to get everyone something. When I give gifts I only find joy from it when it's something I know they'll love. Being obliged to doesn't give any good feeling. I know they'll chuck it or never use it.

[@ponponpattapon]

(((Santa denier)))

[@robertmunciework]

This may be hard to believe but buying gifts for my loved ones, preparing a good meal for them and celebrating the birth of my messiah is legitimately how I want to continue celebrating this holiday and I am sorry that's problematic.

[@octavianschaefer7294]

No one is telling you you can’t. This is more about capitalisms hijacking of this holiday, not the individual.

[@robertmunciework]

@@octavianschaefer7294 But isn't the main critique of the piece to create a new holiday that doesn't involve gift giving and religion? That the fact that I want to buy gifts every year and wrap them in wrapping paper is seen as problematic? If people continue keeping Christmas in their own way wouldn't the majority still carry on in these problematic directions? Also how does a Marxist critique of Christmas not have a single mention of "A Christmas Carol" ?

[@ianbarr4716]

Totally on point. Love your content. Did I say LOVE? :) Please keep this channel alive. You have directly impacted my family and the choices we make. Cheers

[@cleonawallace376]

As a pagan, i'd have preferred if you'd mentioned the roots of Christmas rather than just describing it as a Christian festival! The entire misrule aspect comes from the Roman saturnalia. Us neopagans have eight main festivals, yule/winter solstice being the winter one. I find it really offensive when they start marketing Christmas to me even before the autumn equinox! I wish we could celebrate all eight festivals more equally, but especially with kids, it's very difficult. I focus more on food, games, movies, Christmas music.

[@irenegrene488]

i mean technically it is a Christian holiday. how it’s celebrated by others may look different around the world and aspects of paganism did get infused into the global zeitgeist because paganism was popular in europe, once Christianity reached europe the traditions got mixed and then european colonization had a global effect. so when many ppl think of religious Christmas, they think of the one that was celebrated by european culture. but how it’s celebrated in the middle east and parts of africa, where it originated from, holds true to the core tenets of Christianity and, for the most part, is celebrated in its most traditional form

[@cherrycolareal]

We don't need a war on Christmas, just let people celebrate their winter holidays (including Christmas) peacefully.

[@jumpkickman1993]

Christmas time just stresses me the f*** out. I always have to up my Xanax doses

[@nostaldec4705]

You raise some good points, but if you want to get more views, you might want to try a title more along the lines of 'Why We Need To Redefine Christmas'.

[@WiseAssGamer]

I love Christmas, a lot of great memories come from it. As of late. Whatever gift does not appeal to me, will go right on eBay. I may not like it, but someone else will. 😁

[@werbnaright5012]

"Spurs more than a third of yearly sales in just 3 months" Sorry, but this statistic isn't as drastic as it sounds. 1/3 of 12 months = 4 months, so they do 4 months worth of sales in 3 months. Then the other stats listed are even less...

[@kristaw206]

I had a friend who told me a story about him and his little brother growing up, his family didn't have a lot of money but they wanted to get him something big, so they got him the N64. Worried that giving just one big present would be too short-lived of a Christmas morning, they turned it into a whole scavenger hunt to draw out the excitement! Such a good idea, still fun and less wasteful.

[@DrBernon]

This video is a bunch of plain fake stories and arguments. And, as usual, it is 100% self-centered on the US. So much so, you missed the whole story completely. What is Christmas? As you said, it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. But not just that... Similar to the holly week, it is also a reenactment of his birth, where each day a different thing is celebrated. And in Spain, one thing that is celebrated, is the coming of the three wise men. And the same way Jesus got gifts that day, kids also receive some gift. Those gifts used to be something very simple. From a hand made toy, to some sweets, to a bit of coal to heat up the home. But there were gifts. And all the revelry you mention has nothing to do with Christmas. That is carnival, that comes before Christmas. If there is something that capitalism has ruined, it is the reduction of festivities people celebrate. Before, people celebrated a ton of thing. Nowadays, Christmas is the last thing still being celebrated in a strong way.

[@TimEssDub]

Last year, my family ditched gift-giving in favor of making financial contributions to the local food bank. I am glad!

[@Mia-ei4mh]

This is beautiful

[@psycoteck0808]

Gift giving isn't necessarily bad I think people don't research their gifts enough all those returns are gifts that people don't need or want it creates waste when all they needed to do was just buy a gift someone actually wants to use

[@rickb3650]

Gave up this ritual a long time ago. The loss of the holiday spirit is so pronounced that it became an unpleasant chore just maintaining the facade.

[@barbarasmith6005]

I HATE Christmas! I try to get through the holiday as quickly as possible with zero shopping and no goddamned tree and no decorations.

[@beangobernador]

american holidays feel so dry and dead to me

[@dinispaco3273]

Christmas is about the nativity of Jesus Crist so that we remember Is birth, it should have never become about money and buying things. It should be about doing good deeds, helping the poor, being with friends and family, inviting that person that probably would had spent the day alone. That's the most joyfull way to celbrate this holiday. That's, inded, what He would had done.

[@Vissirzbal]

Definitely relate to the shame aspect of not being able to afford gifts to others. Always fear my frugal gifts are seen as lesser than the shiny store bought ones.

[@thoughtprism2963]

I would much prefer a mass revelry Christmas, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[@firecracker3911]

💯

[@sarahwolff1299]

Do you have older children? I liked the facts presented, but didn't agree with the liberal undertone. Tell your 13 year old he's getting one small gift. That's it. Then watch him go to school and explain why his family downgrades Christmas. But he isn't poor... Especially when every impoverished child gets free toys from the community. Our town has gift program(s) for welfare recipients.

[@walkstheman98]

My family has always saved and reused gift bags, when we get rid of old clothes or items, unless they are broken beyond repair, we donate them to local thrift shops similar to goodwill who help the community that will give them a second life. There is always a better option than the landfil for your unwanted items.