christmas would be better sans gifts
Twice now, Sanrio has emailed me discount codes because they have a new shopping app and want to entice people to use it. Each time I've received the email, I follow the same routine: I add and subtract items while thinking of stuff I could get myself and/or my sister, figure out the threshold for other promos (like free gifts), and finally, I watch the shipping fee tip the scales and cancel my transaction. I'm cheap and spend a considerable amount of time calculating how much money retailers are making with their promos and have concluded that you need to spend at least $50 after discounts to make any Sanrio.com purchase worth it.
Given my current income (or err, lack thereof) and general state of the economy, plushies and stationery items seem like superfluous nonsense. But these are what my sister and I usually purchase for each other, as we're fortunate enough to have most of our other material needs met. I just know things are bad-bad when I'm rolling my eyes at Kuromi mascot pens... but it's obviously not only me and my psychology, feeling the effects of late state capitalism in complete isolation. Many people have woken up to those "deep discounts" being for enshittified products marked up like 500% or whatever leading up to the Big Sale.
Regardless of the current state of the world, this time of year has historically been my least favorite because of the frantic consumerism and the pressure to be joyous and connected. I never understood how people had the energy and motivation to decorate for Christmas. I think the answer is that they grew up in families that value traditions/rituals, instead of my family: curmudgeonly and disorganized and afraid of fun or anything resembling optimism.