From November through January, holiday celebrations such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and much more give celebrators a reason for joy. Festivities usually come with large family dinners, gifting-giving traditions and elaborate decorations. These practices, however, can make the holiday season financially stressful for many.
Social science teacher Gwen Schneider believes the holidays have become increasingly gift-centric over the years. Traditions that used to mean connection and being together with loved ones have evolved to being materialistic celebrations.
“You used to hand-make everything when I was a kid. Our traditions were baking with my mom and celebrating with friends and people in our neighborhood,” Schneider said. “It was less about giving gifts and receiving gifts when I was a kid and more about crafts and doing stuff with my mom or my dad.”
Sophomore Niva Mundrathi agreed with this sentiment, finding that the culture around gifting prioritizes the act of gift-giving over the intentions behind it.
“If I don’t have a lot of money and my friend wants to get me a gift, then it shouldn’t matter if I can afford to give one back. It should just be like, ‘I care about them and I want to get them a gift, but I can’t,’” Mundrathi said.
Social science teacher Karen Henry believes that finances do not define the joy holidays can bring. Through prioritizing connection and time with family, many maintain the celebratory feeling of the holidays without excess monetary stress.
“Does it mean that they’re not going to have a holiday because they don’t have money? No. It means that they are going to throw a potluck instead of a whole spread for the entire family,” Henry said. “Finances may prohibit if I’m going to make dinner for everybody, so it’s like I’ll bake the turkey and you do this or that.”
While the holiday season is often associated with presents, it can also be a time for donating. Many spend their holidays giving back to their communities through charities, toy drives and coat collections, easing stress for those who struggle. No matter how individuals choose to get involved, Mundrathi emphasized the positive effect of helping those in need.
“Just giving back to your community, participating. If you have the means to do so, then you should,” Mundrathi said. “Seeing how it impacts people and how you can make someone’s day if you just give someone a Christmas gift they never thought they’d have or have the ability to get that year.”
Charitable acts extend beyond physical donations, with individuals giving back to their community through actions. During the winter season, many organizations host soup kitchens, or need volunteers to distribute meals at food banks. Henry pointed out that these types of charity tend to go unnoticed when compared to more common material contributions.
“I think giving is one thing if the opportunity is there,” Henry said. “Really, I think the question is more: can you motivate people to give the gift of time, to donate services or to volunteer? Can you get people to do that?”
No matter how one spends the holidays, what traditions one follows, or whether one participates in charities, junior Josh Ebarb believes that relationships between one another make the holidays.
“I don’t think it necessarily has to have gift-giving or anything too lavish involved because as long as you are enjoying time with people you love, then that’s the holidays,” Ebarb said.