Holiday Madness: 4 Things to Remember Before Embarking on Your Christmas Shopping
Many of us can fall prey to marketing tactics (and for good reason, these tactics are calculated!). Here are four points to remember as December approaches and the pressure to spend on holiday shopping gets higher.
CARE
Nicole Lasam
11/28/20253 min read
This time of the year, it isn’t a surprise to see Christmas decorations coming out to decorate every place from shop windows to grand shopping mall lobbies. Actually, in the Philippines, the decorations come out in September, then take a backseat in between October and November, and return with a vengeance after the hankering for Halloween treats peters out.
Christmas jingles start playing in every store to remind shoppers that they have a long list to fill out and that they had better hop to it before the time runs out and the traffic intensifies. Times like this are a good opportunity to take a step back and really think about the things that we have, the things we want to have, and the things we can do without.
What do we have?
It seems that with the advancement of technology (by that I mean the Internet as a tool for communication and commerce more than just devices), it has become much easier nowadays to slip into materialism. We just want more things because we can get them… and get them fast.
Online shopping is one of those enablers: we buy more items from a shop because it feels like it’s a better deal (“sulit”) to buy, say, three items and pay for just one shipping fee. Another enabler is the echo chamber of social media. When things become trendy on social media, they get so popular that you can find them everywhere. Then the hype loses steam, and the things get moved to the sale shelves. This happens with many toys and books.
Enablers aside, I think the problem is that there is a dearth in introspection these days—something we have lost (and have been gradually losing since smartphones made it easy to go online) because we’ve been giving more and more of our time living in a virtual world. If we could just unplug (it seems the newer way to say it is “touch grass”)—if we just touch grass, there may be more time to ponder on the things we really like—and really need—this Christmas. (And not just materially, mind you.)
Things we need to re-learn
I say “re-learn” because I’m going to list down old—very old—life lessons that used to be what many of us valued in the less screen-addled days of yore. I put them down as a reminder to myself, and I hope these thoughts can help you as well!
1. Spend wisely. This does not mean spending only on sale days. Spending wisely means knowing what you need, and how much of it you need, and just buying that. Spending wisely means buying good quality—and maintaining their good quality in the way we care for our things—so that we don’t need to buy again so soon. It also means that we take care of the resources we have and not be wasteful with them. So, spend water wisely, and electricity, household resources, and time wisely as well.
2. Buy only what you need. Nothing superfluous. Why buy a set when you only need a piece? Some days back, I went to buy a new pen in an art store. They packaged the pens in sets and put those in the most visible areas. The store wants its clients to buy the set—but of course! But you don’t need to fall prey to their marketing strategies. If you need one, then buy one.
3. Exercise good habits, get strong in virtues. They say old habits die hard. So why not practice good habits so that they become “old habits”? Habits that stick become virtues. Let’s hone virtues like temperance and moderation. I know that shopping for the newest trend is fun… and so is trying out the new restaurant around the block. It doesn’t even have to be “new.” In the end, we always want what comforts us: a favorite meal, a book, a cup of coffee, a game, or a bag of chips with a movie, for instance. Exercising moderation means, instead of gratifying every craving or pleasure, we can decide to do without it for that particular moment. So, no chocolate after lunch or no screen time after the bedtime alarm. The point of this exercise is to strengthen the will—it needs a workout, too, just like the body!
4. Be grateful. This must be something that has been repeated so many times that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. But let’s remove that notion and stop taking this reminder for granted. So, I repeat it here: be grateful for what you have… and for what you don’t have. Why? Gratefulness comes with contentment, and this entire package makes people happy… something no trendy material can replace.