As the holiday season rolls around, Christmas is everywhere in department and grocery stores alike. From our modern day view of Santa to the current elves on the shelves, our economy relies on holiday spending.
Our modern day view of Santa Claus seems like it would come from pre-existing traditions, but really, it comes from the Coca-Cola company. In 1931, illustrator Hadden Sundblom was commissioned by the company to advertise using the character of Santa.
Before this advertisement, the image of Santa was unknown. He would often be depicted as a gnome. Sundblom’s drawing showed Santa in a more human manner, with rosy cheeks and a white beard.
From that point on, Santa was found in advertisements all across the globe during the holiday season.
This image is used everywhere, from Target’s newest Santa advertisement campaign, to the Coca-Cola store’s year-round Christmas pajama pants.
When it comes time to buy gifts, shoppers go crazy. Whether for the newest Stanley for their daughter, or the newest gaming console for their nephew, families and friends alike meet up to exchange presents.
According to the National Retail Foundation (NRF), the average American spends about $902 per person on holiday items per holiday season. They expect Americans to spend between $979-989 billion total in November and December.
According to Statista Consumer Insights, the most desired holiday gifts for women this year are as follows: money (45%), clothing/shoes (37%), gift cards (34%), cosmetics (27%), phones or phone accessories (25%), food/drinks (24%), jewelry (24%), and books (18%).
This is what most people end up spending their money on during this season. Freshman Aleksander Kostov stated, “Yeah, during this season I definitely end up spending a lot on gifts for my friends and family.” These costs add up, when suddenly, you’re spending $20 on a gift for a friend, but you have many friends.
Companies use all these known images to entice their customers to spend more during the holiday season, and it works. For kids and adults alike, holiday joy comes from these holiday toys, and so they’ll continue to spend away this season.
