Carter Scott ‘26, Entertainment Editor
Every holiday season, families all across the nation celebrate the Christmas season differently. But for nearly 37 million Americans, the holiday season, being known for giving and receiving, is drastically different from those fortunate enough to exchange gifts without a second thought.
An example of the difference between those in poverty experience is the inability to participate in the mass consumerism that is tied to Christmas. In a Saffron Trust foundation article, it stated that, “The National Retail Federation projected that upper and middle-class families will be spending at a record high,” continuing with, “Low-income families will be spending 22 percent less this year than in previous years.” Despite the increase in spending within upper and middle-class families, the decreasing amount of money being spent throughout those with a lower household income is a show of just how expensive the holiday season has been, and will continue to be.
Due to the decrease in spending, some parents may not be able to buy gifts for their children. If one child is comparing their gifts to another, and one received plenty of gifts while the other got none, it could have detrimental effects on their mental health, self-esteem, and sense of belonging. Because a lot of children around the country believe that Santa, a charitable man who delivers gifts to everybody on Christmas day, uses a “naughty or nice” list to determine who is worthy of presents. This causes those who are less fortunate to believe that they were not visited because of how they acted and behaved throughout the year, deteriorating their mental health. There is not much to combat this unfortunate situation because they must either allow their children to feel unworthy, or they must explain why they cannot have everything they want for Christmas, and thereby put the stresses of finance on the child and ruin the Christmas spirit.
The constant pressure of wanting to make people close to you happy makes the holiday stressful for not only the children, but the parents as well. In an American Psychological Association survey, it was found that “89 percent of U.S. adults feel stressed during the holiday season, with 41 percent reporting higher stress levels compared to other times of the year.” Similarly to worsening stress, it was also found that, “64 percent of individuals living with a mental health disorder felt that their conditions worsened around the holidays.” This expresses that stress is not exclusive to the children or adults alone, but both can be negatively impacted by the unfortunate circumstances.
If you and your family are fortunate enough to exchange gifts, something you could do is apply to be an angel for an angel tree. Every holiday season, the Salvation Army Angel Tree programs allow individuals to provide Christmas gifts for children or senior adults around the nation. Once you have applied and been accepted, a Chrismtas wish list is shared with donors in your community. With this list, you are able to buy items that people that may not be fortunate enough to afford and allow them to have a much better Christmas.
Although everybody experiences the holiday season differently, there are ways to provide and gift presents to those who may not experience the holiday similarly to those who are fortunate enough to exchange items between their own family and friends.
Lyon Life 