HEAD TO HEAD: Pro or Con to the Holidays
Pro Holidays: Amber Swigart
I will be the first to admit that at a glance, the holidays may seem like childlike, foolish speculation that turn religious celebrations into a promotion of America’s consumerist culture.
However, when looking beyond superficial symbols of Christmas sales and countdowns to Dec. 25, the sense of community, joy of giving and innocent glee that brings us together during the holiday season is priceless.
No argument against the holidays could withstand the strength of a children’s smiles when they discover, on Christmas morning, that Santa visited the night before; the tender feeling that one gains when giving a heartfelt gift to a friend after anticipating the reaction for weeks on end; or the comfort received through a family dinner and reminiscence about Christmases past.
The holiday spirit even provides health benefits, like an increase in the happiness-causing chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, according to Michele O’Connor in the article “Christmas can be good for your health,” on the website mirror.co.uk, meaning that your body recognizes the unique effects of the Christmas season.
Furthermore, expressing love for friends or contributing to local charities through small acts of kindness, like gifts or donations, improves their well-being in addition to that of the gift giver, according to the article “A Gift That Gives Right Back? The Giving Itself” on The New York Times website.
Although it may not seem immediately necessary to society, we could all use a short break from the stresses of everyday life and a reminder of what is important: family, generosity and the extent to which we are truly happy.
In short; do not be a grinch this holiday season.
Indulge yourself in the superfluous festiveness, and you, too, may find visions of sugar plums dancing in your head.
Con Holidays: Jacob Gooch
Holidays are, frankly, overrated and consume an unhealthy amount of our time and money, have no way for people to truly get something of under value you out of it and also cause higher obesity rates in the United States.
According to a Nov. 21 report on a random telephone survey by the American Research Group, Inc., Americans will spend an average of $929, compared to $882 last year. that is a little over a 5 Percent increase in spending that leaves a hole in most budgets.
According to 2010 US Census data, there are 11,536,504 people residing in the state of Ohio. Based on that number, $10.72 billion will be spent this year on holiday shopping. To put that into perspective: with that money, a person could buy an iPhone 7 Plus for everyone in the State of Ohio (based on Dec. 7 apple prices) and still have almost $3 million let over.
The survey also asked “Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?,” with 39 Percent of those surveyed responding yes. Meaning that, as of Nov. 21, 39 Percent of Americans are already shopping for holiday gifts making the holiday season effectively run from the last week of Nov. to Jan. 1st, marking a new year.
Rachel Brown, RN, LDN of the Obesity Action Coalition, highlights in an article, entitled “Emotional and Healthy Eating During the Holidays,” the holidays as a clear cause of weight gain through emotional eating and the abundance of food in general. Brown, in this article, focuses on the holidays causing stress and leading to, “emotional eating” and ways to prevent it, but the simplest way to prevent this problem that leads to higher obesity in the United States is to eliminate holidays to begin with.
The holidays are not really a blessing: they are a front for businesses to rake in the money, people to lose control of their time management and create a more obese America.
The holidays are, quite simply, a death trap that must be abandoned.
