Festive Nature Of Christmas As A Marketing Ploy

[E.A Rumfield]

I work in sales and marketing so I'm not talking from out of ignorance. It is funny to hear these people talk, purely calculated. One person was speaking of how most stores put Christmas decorations up just after Halloween, it gets people into the mood of buying things. They've been programed since childhood, it's pure Pavlov as soon as people see the lights they get the instinct to buy. This is very important because even the most family friendly man or woman at any other time of the year would say "Forget it, I'm not giving those crooks my money." and they are crooks, every other time of the year. Now some buy more than others but in the end our role in this society is as consumers truth be told. Now that brings me to my point of Christmas as a holiday for false induced happiness to spur consumption. Take Black Friday for example where people rush to save small amounts of money on products they don't need. Christmas is supposed to be a happy time but is it natural to be happy for such an inconsequential reason. Think about what is so special about December that we should all be so thrilled and force greetings upon one another that we wouldn't normally. That's the thing we only act this way for a time, if it was such a proper way to act why not keep it up all year round. If anything this time of year is depressing just given the weather. Less sunlight, cold, dark and wet. Instinctively depressing time of the year. I'm not a Christian but that is part of the problem it is a National Holiday in the sense of society and our society is dedicated to consumption. Look at every other major holiday they always find a reason to sell you something. So even if you are a Christian and you truly believe in all those fairy tales, Christmas is not about any religious ceremonies. Third rate musical artist make Christmas CD's and the television takes advantage of the spectacle as well. I guess that is my point everything about Christmas, all our traditions started over the last 70 years are aimed at consumption of products and our traditions before that time have been twisted to fit that model. Anybody have any thoughts? Just think about this starting November 1st all the way to Christmas businesses make 60% of the money they do all year. That is astronomical, in on less than 1/6 of the year they make 3/5 of their annual sales. If you don't need this crap 10 and a half months out of the year why now?

[Delta40]

What has November 1 got to do with anything? What is Black Friday? Is this an 'Americans only' discussion?

[E.A Rumfield]

What has November 1 got to do with anything? What is Black Friday? Is this an 'Americans only' discussion?

November 1st is just an arbitrary date but it is when most malls and such start putting up Christmas decorations and between that date and Christmas as I mentioned companies make 60% of their yearly sales. This is not a American only discussion, wherever the holidays are celebrated in such a manner.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when fat sloppy stupid Americans rush out to department stores that traditional offer savings on that day and the rest of the weekend.

[Delta40]

Oh is it? I've never seen Christmas being pushed here so early in the year - more like December 1. So what if businesses cash in on Christmas though? That's what they're meant to do - take advantage of every opportunity available to them to sell, sell, sell. If I owned a business, I would being doing the same thing regardless of the meaning of Christmas or any other religious holiday. I guess my question is what do you want them to do instead?

[E.A Rumfield]

Oh is it? I've never seen Christmas being pushed here so early in the year - more like December 1. So what if businesses cash in on Christmas though? That's what they're meant to do - take advantage of every opportunity available to them to sell, sell, sell. If I owned a business, I would being doing the same thing regardless of the meaning of Christmas or any other religious holiday. I guess my question is what do you want them to do instead?

It's not a matter of if people should behave this way in this system, I think it is a matter of whether or not this system and behavior is not destructive. Especially in America people are becoming more and more trained. It's like an army of sheep like people trained to buy buy buy. Products are made to break down shortly after buying them or something very quickly comes along and makes it obsolete. The iPhone was originally released in 2007 since then 6 new models have come out. It seems clear to me they have the capability to release the iPhone 13 tomorrow instead they continue to release shoddy phones with minute improvements over the last. The iPad was originally released in 2010 since than 3 new generations were added. We live in such a throw away culture. It's not a matter of Christmas or not it is that the rest of the year people don't buy half the **** they do in a month. What clicks in the human brain that says alright now I need all this stupid stuff that will be inferior in one year? Now I need to buy my kid all this stupid stuff so he/she learns to weight his or her self worth on material possessions? It reminds me of some Kurt Vonnegut said in Slaughter House Five. It went along the lines of how Americans have been taught to hate themselves if they are poor and how if you are poor in America you will never become rich, but how in Europe people except the fact that they are poor understand that their people have been poor for thousands of years and they don't care they have a culture outside of that. It is a crime to be poor in America he says and it is true. That is why people want all this stuff its for appearance. You have a new Honda and a iPhone a brand new kitchen and massive amounts of soul and mind crushing debt. It is all a false appearance much like America as a country.

[Delta40]

Presuming that you're not suggesting gift giving itself is destructive, do you think people lack the ability to make decisions on how much gift giving is appropriate because of the way the system is tailored to promote Christmas?

[E.A Rumfield]

Presuming that you're not suggesting gift giving itself is destructive, do you think people lack the ability to make decisions on how much gift giving is appropriate because of the way the system is tailored to promote Christmas?

Well I think too many people think that gift giving is a sign of love, that you need a expensive gift from someone you feel loves you. Now this of course is a generalization, some people don't care some people do, but it seems to be the moral of Christmas time.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

I'm reminded of a video clip I happened to see on the morning news following "Black Friday".
This was taken at a Walmart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt_TgVkZfvI

The past few years I've been encouraging family and anyone else who will listen, that if someone feels compelled to purchase a gift, consider digestible gifts; food, beer, wine and liquor.

.

[E.A Rumfield]

I'm reminded of a video clip I happened to see on the morning news following "Black Friday".
This was taken at a Walmart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt_TgVkZfvI

The past few years I've been encouraging family and anyone else who will listen, that if someone feels compelled to purchase a gift, consider digestible gifts; food, beer, wine and liquor.

.

Yes something to warm the soul.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

That is true and something to share at a Christmas meal once opened.

For example, here in Texas we have Greenberg Smoked Turkey http://www.gobblegobble.com/
Those birds make a great gift and in the words of Hank Hill; "I tell you what"

Omaha Steaks is another good choice if you want to ship a consumable.