On Nov. 1, Mariah Carey “thawed” from her metaphorical ice block, signifying the start of the Christmas season. Holiday decorations fill stores while Christmas music plays on the radio, but there are no festive decorations or displays for the next major celebration which is rapidly approaching: Thanksgiving. At North, students and teachers are preparing for Christmas as well. Teachers play Christmas music during class, while students are already writing their Christmas lists for the upcoming holiday. Why are we skipping forward to a holiday nearly two months away when the next big celebration is just around the corner?
One big reason is Thanksgiving’s unfortunate date: stuck in between Halloween and Christmas, two of the biggest spending events of the year, companies put more marketing effort into the bread compared to the meat of their metaphorical turkey sandwich. During Halloween of 2023, the U.S. spent $12.2 billion on candy, decorations and costumes, which is $108.24 per person. Christmas was even higher than that; the most expensive day of the year cost Americans $964.4 billion, or $1,652 per person.
Especially from a commercial standpoint, Christmas is a much bigger deal than either Halloween or Thanksgiving. While the focus of Thanksgiving is almost completely on food, Christmas encompasses a larger amount of marketable goods. The meal is important, but the addition of gifts, lights and decorations brings in a lot more revenue than a turkey and some sides. Because of this, stores try to expand the holiday season to make as much money as they can, with Christmastime often making up the majority of their yearly revenue.
The appeal extends to children, as well. With the joy of putting on a costume and going door to door to receive candy on Halloween followed by the excitement of decorating a tree and receiving gifts less than two months later, kids have a lot to look forward to during this time. Big corporations recognize this, leaning into ads and displays targeted toward a younger audience. Bright colors, joyful music and cartoon ads draw kids’ attention with promises of toys, candy and fun. Introducing these displays as early as possible allows children to see as much as they can of the wonders the holidays have to offer, impacting their parents and by extension, their wallets. For North students, the appeal of the newest trending games, clothes and accessories take up their minds as the countdown to Christmas continues.
With new Halloween and Christmas movies releasing each year, the weeks leading up to these two holidays mark a major money-making season for theaters, as well. The day of Halloween alone made over $8.5 million at the box office in 2024. Last year, Christmas Day brought in $63 million, over $40 million more than Thanksgiving in 2023, which made just under $23 million.
Companies’ actions are an indicator of a larger societal issue. The focus on material goods and making money takes away from the real value of the holidays: being together. Too many people focus on how much they can gain from the holiday season, not taking the time to appreciate and spend time with those they care about. However, these celebrations were never meant to be a time of corporate greed and materialism, but instead, an opportunity to put a pause on all the stressful things in life and appreciate what we do have.
