I stared blankly at the text from my cousin requesting I send over my holiday wishlist. It always seems to find me at my most unprepared.
Christmas wishlists never seemed to be much of an issue for me until recently.
When I was younger, I knew exactly what I was going to ask for for Christmas because I thought about it incessantly all year. I kept the toy catalog stashed in my room and shivered with excitement when that present inevitably appeared under the tree.
Now, I open a clothing website and try to remember the name of a tank top I heard about.
But perhaps what is lacking nowadays is a genuine want and purpose for an item, resulting in a hasty decision.
Consumerist tendencies around the holidays are not a surprise to anyone. Our celebrations can only run on so much holiday spirit. The rest is covered by cold hard cash. As such, it’s crucial that we thoroughly consider what’s truly worth spending on and what’s simply a fad.
This sits on my mind often around this time of year, when the wind becomes bitterly cold and a stack of Apple Pay notifications clog up my lock screen. Are the deals during this time really worth their value?
Holiday trends are unique from year to year, like snowflakes. What’s in fashion always changes, and what we want is never certain. However, that presents a continuous problem – where popular gifts from years prior wind up unwanted after the hype has faded.
At best, last year’s gifts go to secondhand stores. At worst, they wind up at the bottom of a dumpster.
Elly Olsen, a second-year political science student, said that at least twice a day, she sees posts on social media touting what people should buy during Black Friday sales.
“It’s definitely important to find a balance between buying stuff that you love and not overdoing it to the point where it’s like you’re wearing it once, and then you’re tossing it,” Olsen said.
The wide open doors of beauty stores showcasing their newest array palettes and serums beckon potential buyers inside. Most retailers’ websites during the holiday season have a front page that display their most coveted items as well. It’s not an arbitrary decision but meant to reflect what is popular in the moment.
I have skimmed through Aritzia’s page so much recently that I barely convinced myself not to buy a Super Puff, the store’s famous densely insulated jacket. Living in Los Angeles, do I really need something meant for freezing temperatures?
Social media and retailers are not the only drivers behind trends. Simply looking at who owns what on campus is often enough to subtly lead us to believe we should buy certain things. To say I haven’t put something on my Christmas list that I’d just seen an hour ago would be a lie.
Dodging outside influence, especially as social beings, is easier said than done.
“When you’re surrounded by a lot of people, and they’re using something and you don’t have it, you’re like, ‘Well, I need it,’” said Marina Lopez, a first-year marine biology student.
When we ponder about what we really want for the holidays, we can discover items that may not have crossed our minds to buy for ourselves but would otherwise prove beneficial for us in some form.
Nessa Magana, a fourth-year English student, said her requests during the holidays often include items she knows will be useful or supplies for her cats. She also said she puts thought into buying gifts for friends and family.
“I feel like a lot of people, when they’re shopping during these holidays, they’re shopping for the sake of satisfying a need or a niche or wanting to follow a trend,” Magana said.
Ultimately, what one does with their money or gift requests is up to them. But it’s best to fully reflect on if it is something they really, truly want.
Bruins should have a purpose for their purchases.
That pair of jeans is too gorgeous to end up wasting away in a landfill, anyway.
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