Advent Anxiety grows as lists of To-Dos grow longer and bank balances grow smaller. How ironic that Christmas, a holiday marking the birth of a child in a humble stable, has become the annual zenith of a year long orgy of consumption!
Yet, still, within the very story we claim to celebrate, lie powerful, counter-cultural principles – ways to reclaim Christmas – and ourselves – from the siren lure of over-consumption by drawing upon the original meaning of advent. Here are some I have come up with.
1) Incarnation – The Sacred in the Simple
We anticipate not a pleasure palace, but a manger in an out house, which is a feeding troff for animals, really just one step up from a latrine. The Incarnation—God entering the world in vulnerability, poverty – and frankly squalor – sanctifies simplicity. This principle directly challenges the notion that more stuff equals more joy. It invites us to ask: where can we embrace humble simplicity this year?
Perhaps it’s in gifting handmade items, shared experiences, or simply the gift of time. It shifts our focus from packaging to presence, reminding us that the most precious things come without a price tag.
2) Advent – Cultivating Anticipation Over Acquisition
For centuries, Christians observed Advent as a season of waiting, reflection, and preparation—a spiritual lean into the coming light. Modern Christmas, however, screams “NOW!” from October onward. By reclaiming Advent, we reintroduce a rhythm of patience. We can light candles weekly, focusing on hope, peace, joy, and love. This intentional waiting detoxifies the impulse for immediate gratification and builds a deeper, more spiritual anticipation for Christmas Day itself, making it a devotional culmination rather than a commercial climax.
3) Generosity vs Arm-twisting
Consumerism twists generosity into an obligatory, reciprocal transaction. Christian generosity, modeled by the Magi’s pilgrimage gifts, is focused on needs. It asks, “How can I truly enrich this person’s life?” rather than “What am I obligated to buy?” This principle encourages us to give to our friends and families’ best interests , not just desires – for example – supporting a charity in a loved one’s name.
4) Community (Koinonia) Over Comparison
Social media feeds become reels of perfect gifts, decor, and parties, fueling comparison with others and envy of them – a powerful and deliberately stoked engine of consumerism. By contrast, the early Christian principle of koinonia, or deep fellowship, calls us into authentic community. It finds joy in shared, imperfect moments rather than images curated for Instagram. When we focus on true connection with others the pressure to “keep up” loses its power, and we find contentment in togetherness.
Some Practical Steps for a Resistant Christmas:
- For close family a “Four-Gift Rule”: Something they want, need, to wear, and to read. It brings creativity and limits excess.
- Adopt an “Experience Calendar”: Fill Advent with activities like looking at lights, baking together, or serving at a soup kitchen.
- Give a “Second Gift”: For every gift given, match its value (or a percentage) in a donation to a cause you care about.
- Practice a “Tech Fast” from advertising: Unsubscribe from promotional emails and limit social media scrolling to reduce temptation.
- Start New Traditions: Read the nativity story on Christmas morning before opening gifts, beginning the day with its intended meaning
Resisting Christmas consumerism is not about crafting an Instagram curated, minimalist showcase holiday. It’s a quiet revolution of the heart, inculcated by the radical principles of the very story we are celebrating. In choosing the manger over the shopping mall, anticipation over acquisition – people over products – it is in the end, about making room, clearing out the clutter of excess to create space for the divine presence, for the possibility of wonder, peace, and the arrival of something that might even be transformative.
This advent, the most powerful act of resistance may simply be in learning to await a gift from above that could never be bought, and allowing that joy to be enough.
Joy in Enough 