The growing conflict of Christmas

By Susan Riley, Head of Think Stylist

At work recently we had a session on knowing when to stop doing something that has become habitual but no longer makes actual sense. We went around the room and offered up the last thing we made a conscious decision to stop, and why we reached that decision.   

Mine caused a bit of debate: last year,  I decided to stop sending Christmas cards.   

It’s  a decision steeped in awkwardness. I looked very Grinch-like at my Friendmas  when everyone else was handing out theirs. And when someone at work drops one on your desk, you can’t  even yell ‘Yours is at home’ because it’s  really not. It’s  also been a long-standing ritual I’ve  enjoyed for years,  sitting down in early December with my address book and using my  ‘nice pen’ to write to everyone I know.  

But the Christmas card no longer seems fit for purpose in 2025. There’s  the  waste of paper, regardless of buying recycled or charity-donated designs, and there’s  the astronomical cost of a stamp. All just to say ‘hi ’ to people you’ve WhatsApped  seven times the day before.  

Agree with me or not, but it’s  a small example of how Christmas is becoming more conflictual and increasingly at odds with our desire to be less wasteful and more considered.    

One Christmas past, I did witness  more mindful celebrations between my sister-in-law and her family,  who are German. They celebrate on Christmas eve,  and before dinner exchanged one or two small gifts – without fanfare, and  wrapped in brown paper with charming red and white string – that contained  small trinkets from local shops,  such as handcrafted ornaments and decorations.   

I have always held that in my mind as such a peaceful, sustainable way to celebrate Christmas but, try as I might, our UK version always seems to snowball into mass consumerism. Stockings with ‘fillers’ that never seem substantial  enough. Mounds of wrapping and foil and ribbon. Mountains of food. Tonnes of plastic. So much excess, so much waste.   

It’s  also in direct conflict with how the majority of  us try and shop the rest of the year. Stylist women are particularly conscious shoppers. They check ingredients, verify brand credentials, recycle packaging  and buy with much more intention (on TikTok, 2025 even started with a ‘No Buy 25’ challenge among  Gen Z and millennial women). And then December arrives, and we seem to abandon that ethos, suddenly running around piling everything into trolleys and mass ordering online.   

And it’s  women who are on the frontline of this. The food, the gifts, the planning – more often than not  these things fall into our laps, along with the pressure to deliver a lot in such little time when prices are high, budgets are stretched and you’re  looking for ease and value.  

The intention to have a more sustainable Christmas is of course there. 40% of women plan on buying  fewer gifts this December. 35% want to avoid wrapping paper. 26% will buy from local businesses only. 23%, like me, will stop sending Christmas cards. 22% will focus on handmade gifts,  while 19% plan to focus on second-hand. Experiences and mass Secret Santa's rule.   

Of course, all of this takes time, attention  and the creation of new and more intentional traditions, which is also why 23% plan to celebrate exactly as they usually do.   

So  while we focus on what we can do differently, how can brands help? Having seen a gingerbread house Christmas kit in my local supermarket earlier this month, I would say thinking about how we all contribute to the ‘frenzy’ and expectation of Christmas is key. Does your marketing ramp up the pressure for consumers, or lessen it? Encourage festive perfection,  or a charming reality?  

More acknowledgement of the sustainability challenges we’re  facing at Christmas will show her that she isn’t  alone in this. How can your brand reflect a ‘less is more’ ethos in your own unique way. How can you curate her choices so that she doesn’t  feel overwhelmed or guilty? How can you help her reuse, recycle  or donate?   

Tapping into the luxuries of life will also connect with customers, so that Christmas doesn’t  just represent  ‘things’. So,  associate your brand with rest, relaxation, time in nature, cosiness and tactility at home, slow living experiences,  and quality ingredients and materials that will last.   

Essentially be a brand that is a festive ally in whatever way you can because we all need help in knowing what to stop if it no longer makes sense.   

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