"It didn't feel as frantic or overly commercialized when I was a kid (1940s-50s), and Christmas didn't start in September. There was more anticipation, with clear breaks between Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and most shopping didn't really happen until after Thanksgiving. Now we're inundated with everything Christmas on every platform, and it's just too much. We don't need three months of Christmas - and it wouldn't hurt to dial back the consumerism, IMO."
"I miss holiday cards. It was genuinely so fun to see which ones everyone picked, what messages they wrote inside, and then hang them up on the wall or line them across the fireplace mantel. And after Christmas, we'd cut them up and reuse them as gift tags, ornaments, or other little craft projects. Me too! I was just telling my husband that I'm not really into the photo card"
Many people experience Christmas as less magical over time due to commercialization, earlier seasonal marketing, increased busyness, and the absence of people or practices that once made the holiday special. Memories center on a slower build-up and clear breaks between holidays, focused shopping after Thanksgiving, and simple anticipatory pleasures. Specific nostalgic elements include Sears Wish Book fascination, handwritten holiday cards reused for crafts, neighborhood carolling and midnight candlelight services, and movie-like local traditions. Advertising and a buying frenzy are blamed for pressure to buy expensive gifts. People long for dialed-back consumerism and a return of community-centered rituals.
Read at BuzzFeed
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