Companies are taking advantage of seasonal depression
On November 1, I went to eat at a cafe with my friends for brunch and took a seat facing the window. Throughout the entire meal my view consisted of a man on the street stringing Christmas lights onto a tree. While this sight brought me undeniable joy, it made me think about my Halloween costume from the night before; it was still laying in a pile on the floor next to my bed, like Halloween’s freshly deceased body, the corpse still warm. Upon realizing this, I had to wonder: since when did it become acceptable to publicly celebrate Christmas 11 hours after Halloween had ended?
Many people prefer that the Christmas season begin as soon as possible, partaking in festivities like ordering from the Starbucks holiday menu and streaming “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. However, the elephant in the room during this holiday joy is the capitalistic commercialization and consumerism that comes with the holiday season. While Christmas and its celebration have a rich biblical history, the holiday has now been monetized: an issue that has been the case for many other cultural celebrations. Christmas is a prime milking point for retailers as holiday promotions, endless Christmas-themed items, and grandiose gift giving is encouraged more and more each year. James J. Farell from the Smithsonian found that America’s malls spend an average of just over twenty thousand dollars on Christmas decorating, coaxing citizens to shop during the holiday season. Whether we choose to ignore the facts or face them head on, it is true that the holiday season is riddled with consumer traps from companies that begin celebrations as soon a possible to maximize profit rather than out of the good old Christmas spirit.
Capitalistic greed doesn’t discredit the positive effect the holiday season can have on our mental health. A study done by UC Davis on the effects of seasonal depression disorder (SAD) suggests that planning fun activities and socializing with friends and family acts as a potential prevention strategy for symptoms of the disorder, which, according to Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, professor of psychiatry at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in therapeutics for mental health, two to three per cent of Canadians face. This indicates that stretching the Christmas season, by planning trips to Christmas markets, making gingerbread houses with friends, or going ice skating with loved ones can actually be a solution to alleviating the symptoms of seasonal depression. Beginning these festivities as soon as benefits. While these activities are obviously not a surefire cure to a serious mental disorder, the correlation between holiday festivities and a more positive attitude should be considered a pro of the holiday season starting early.
A study done by UC Davis on the effects of seasonal depression disorder (SAD) suggests that planning fun activities and socializing with friends and family acts as a potential prevention strategy for symptoms of the disorder, which, according to Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, professor of psychiatry at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in therapeutics for mental health, two to three per cent of Canadians face.
However, seasonal depression and the push of Christmas consumerism through advertising intersect to raise a more complicated question: are companies taking advantage of seasonal depression during the holiday season for their own profit? For marketers, the Christmas season means more than just celebration and love. It also means incentivizing consumers to purchase items from their retail company during the most competitive season of the year. It could be inferred that the suggested use of holiday purchases to spark joy in the dark winter months may not be an innocent coincidence. People crave warmth, nostalgia, and quick dopamine boosts more than usual during these times, and brands are aware of this. Therefore, products advertised during Christmas are portrayed as gateways to warmth and joy, things that people dealing with SAD are struggling to feel. A 2024 Starbucks ad, for example, equates drinking a glee. This encourages consumers to spend more than usual on their limited-edition holiday drinks. Some would argue the ad implies that happiness comes with the consumption of Starbucks products, which is emphasized by their slogan “here’s to joy and coffee.” As retail sales boom during November and December, so does retail therapy, where many people struggling with their mental health shop to induce happiness. Coping becomes intertwined with consumption. This benefits companies but leaves people with seasonal depression in the same place they started. It’s debatable whether companies can truly be held accountable for these joy-inducing business tactics. Their ultimate goal is to motivate consumers to feel the spirit of the holiday season through their products. Despite the profit incentive, it is unclear if companies explicitly over-advertise the season to take advantage of people with seasonal depression. Cultural commercialization plays a role in every holiday, and it is apparent no matter when the Christmas season actually “starts.” Among the many benefits of the holiday season beginning early, I believe that the most important is prolonging the core values of Christmas. The holiday has become increasingly secular over the past 20 years, aligning with the general decline of religiosity. Religion provides us with a guide to the world when we feel most lost, so as society becomes more secular, many struggle to find purpose. A lot of people still celebrate Christmas in a traditionally religious sense, yet a large number of people do not. For those who are not religious, Christmas is defined by a display of generosity, love, and family bonding. While the state of faith in our current world can make it difficult for us to find reason or purpose, the perseverance of Christmas celebrations through this is a reminder that we can continue to have faith in those around us. What I believe to be most important about the Christmas season is love and togetherness, which make the early start to the holiday season a net positive.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!