Holiday Shopping Unwrapped: Why We Buy

The holiday season may be over, but the retail world never stops moving. Holiday gift sets are tucked onto clearance shelves, and the aisles are now decked out in pink for Valentine’s Day. Even as we settle into February, the cycle continues. Retailers leap from one holiday to the next, selling not just products but also the feeling of celebration year-round.

If it feels like the holidays (every holiday) are starting earlier each year, that’s because they do—and it’s all mapped out strategically by marketing! Retailers keep the excitement going so that the spending never really ends.

Beyond the Gifts

For many of us, the holidays are more than just the decorations—they’re about connection, tradition, and the joy of giving. Exchanging gifts, sharing meals, and celebrating with loved ones are what make the season special. Picking out the perfect gifts shows someone you care. It could even be a way to treat yourself after a long year. 

But it’s not just about the gifts. Every year, retailers flood the market with hundreds of new products in cute, cozy, and limited edition packaging designed to trigger excitement and urgency. The problem is, most of them aren’t entirely new. They’re made from the same product formula, dressed up in eye-catching packaging with words like “holiday special” or “limited time only” slapped on the label.

Perfect examples of this are the holiday gift sets at stores like Sephora or Ulta Beauty. Brands often bundle already existing products in festive packaging or with extra items, like a perfume that comes with a mini lotion or lipstick. Presenting it as a “gift box” or “value set” makes it feel exclusive. Consumers are drawn in by the idea that they’re getting more for their money or a ready-made gift, even if they didn’t need it in the first place.

Advent calendars work similarly, offering a daily mini surprise with well-loved products that people already know. It’s not just about the items you get; it’s the thrill of opening something new every day and the dopamine rush leading up to the holidays.

Marketing plays directly into our buying habits. The more you see something, the more you feel the urge to purchase. What started as your “holiday shopping” for others has suddenly turned into treating yourself, too. The “I deserve it” mindset isn’t a coincidence; it’s a result of marketing strategies. 

Christmas in October?

Retailers are masters at making us feel like we need to shop before the actual season even hits—and by the time it does, they’ve already moved on to the next holiday. This is part of a phenomenon known as Christmas creep, in which holiday merchandise and promotions appear earlier each year to extend the shopping season.

A good example of this is Bath & Body Works. Their first wave of fall scents dropped in July, when it was still a scorching 90 degrees outside. This was followed by Halloween scents in August. When October finally arrived and the leaves were just slightly yellow, I went in looking for a cozy pumpkin candle and was immediately bombarded with Christmas products. All the remaining fall scents? Stacked on a little 75% clearance shelf. 

It’s astounding how early retail companies push seasonal products—so much so that by the actual holiday, the items are gone or already discounted. This isn’t accidental; it’s a retail strategy with multiple goals. Retailers extend the selling period to maximize consumer spending, use seasonal products to tap into consumer emotions and urgency, and gain a competitive advantage by being the first store customers think of for holiday shopping.

The result? Customers eventually learn that if they don’t buy early, they might miss out. Just as “last-minute panic buying” pushes shoppers to overspend as the holidays approach, this early-pressure strategy creates a different type of overconsumption. Shoppers feel compelled to purchase far ahead of time, fearing that products will disappear. Both types of panic-buying end in more unnecessary spending, generating waste, and making shopping less sustainable.

The Never-Ending Sales

The series of sales around this time of year is nothing new, but they’ve noticeably multiplied over the years—especially as the holidays approach. It starts with Amazon Prime Day in early October, followed by a parade of pre-Thanksgiving deals, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and some flash sales squeezed in before Christmas. Each one is framed as “the biggest sale of the year,” designed to make shoppers feel like they must buy now to get the best gifts.

The Sephora Savings Event, often referred to simply as the Sephora Sale, is an example. Influencers flood social media with “what to buy during the sale” videos, building hype and creating a sense of urgency. These types of videos rack up views and engagement, tapping into people’s desire to look for the best products to purchase. This results in people adding things to their baskets that they might not have needed. In reality, the discounts are quite modest—the most basic tier of their rewards program (Beauty Insider) gets 10% off, while the highest tier gets 20% off. Since it’s hyped up as the “most anticipated sale of the year,” shoppers feel that they have to make big purchases, convinced that this is their one chance to get everything on their wishlist.

Sometimes it isn’t just the product that hooks us– it’s the hype. When a brand turns a sale into a big, high-energy event, it shifts our attention to what everyone else seems to be buying instead of what we really want to buy. Once we recognize this shift, it’s easier to shop with intention instead of urgency.

How to Shop More Mindfully

None of this is really about one single shopper being “too impulsive” or “bad with money.” It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of buying because the retail industry intentionally manipulates marketing to turn our excitement and nostalgia into opportunities for profit. Consumers have been conditioned to equate the holidays with buying, and that’s exactly how these systems are meant to work. 

Despite these profit-driven factors, we can still make a change. While we can’t control the holiday campaigns or the wave of sales, we can be just a little bit more mindful about how we respond to them.

If you feel the urge to buy something because it’s “limited edition,” pause and ask yourself, “Would I still buy this if it weren’t part of a sale? Am I buying something just because it’s a ‘holiday special’ item?” Taking a moment to reflect often helps you realize whether it’s something you truly need or just marketing doing its job.

Writing down items you want—or even saying them out loud—helps you reflect before purchasing. Many social media users shared that speaking about their wishlist out loud makes them realize some items aren’t as necessary as they first thought. Waiting a few days after the excitement fades can also show you whether the item is truly important or just a passing impulse.

Think practically before buying: Do you have a place to store the item? If not, adding more clutter could result in stress instead of joy. If your closet is already full, maybe it’s not the right time to buy more clothes. Consider setting a rough budget or list of gifts for others and yourself—this will help you keep track of your spending. Even if you don’t stick to it perfectly, it still serves as a reminder of what you originally planned.

Being more mindful doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the holidays or treat yourself. At the end of the day, it’s the moments and connections you create that make the season meaningful, not how much you buy.

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