Christmas Spending, Wealth, and Joy
As retailers worry about holiday sales and families consider spending less, this piece reflects on how Christmas traditions shape what we believe about joy and circumstances. It also considers a forthcoming study of the very wealthy and what it may reveal about happiness, generosity, and faith. The article invites Christians of any income level to examine whether their celebrations point beyond material conditions.
- Cutting back on Christmas spending may feel spiritually wise, but it also raises questions about broader economic impact.
- A survey of ultra-wealthy households aims to explore values, philanthropy, belief in God, and happiness.
- Christmas can reveal whether we believe joy depends on circumstances—or transcends them.
By Mark A. Taylor
Christmas Spending and the Economy
As we finished putting together this issue in the middle of November, retailers were worrying about this Christmas. It seems consumer confidence in the economy is lagging, and quite a few households are planning to spend less this holiday than in past years. Since many retailers measure their profit for the whole year by the volume of holiday shopping, this was a concerning omen.
And yet many would say it’s a good thing to cut back on Christmas spending. Wouldn’t we? After all, haven’t we for years encouraged folks to remember the “real” reason for Christmas? Don’t magazines like this one regularly suggest less consumption and more giving? Don’t most of the people in most of our families already have toys, clothes, jewelry, and electronic doodads aplenty?
No doubt the spiritual blessing that can come from observing Christmas is sometimes lost in all the tradition our culture has heaped on top of it. But I can’t help wondering how the whole economy might suffer if everyone took the advice to spend less on a more meaningful Christmas.
The Joys and Dilemmas of Wealth
Just as I was pondering all this, I came across a notice in The Wall Street Journal about a survey of the American rich to be conducted this year. Co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the project will “target American households worth $25 million or more.
The study, called the Joys and Dilemmas of Wealth and scheduled for release next fall, will attempt to probe deeply into the private lives of the rich, from their family and values to their philanthropy and belief in God. It also will use the latest tools in “happiness research” to try to determine whether the rich are truly happy.
Those of us who won’t see $25 million in a whole lifetime might be tempted to sneer at this. “I’d like to try being unhappy with that much money!” But according to the Journal, some believe happiness may decline among the very rich “because of complexities and troubles that wealth can bring, such as family feuds and lawsuits.
Those with such troubles may not understand the complexities that accompany lost jobs, maxed-out health insurance plans, or mortgage foreclosures. And most of us have seen more than one family feud among those in every economic strata. Some of them happen at Christmas.
Joy Beyond Circumstances
It will be interesting to see if any of those surveyed for this report believe joy in this life doesn’t depend on the circumstances of this life. And it’s interesting for us Christians, regardless of income, to consider how our own Christmas traditions support that idea.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
