Christmas is on the 25th December every. It is one day in the year. It is of course a holy festival and of late a consumer festival, the altar of which we must splay ourselves, it seems. It is merely, however, one day out of 365 other great days. Yet we all go mad in insisting that we must have this or that for Christmas, no matter what the cost. Why on earth do we do this?  Why do we create this special parameter beyond which the pleasure and necessity of having this particular object we desire dies? Does everything lose it value and purpose on the 26th December?

Household retailers, kitchen manufacturers and anybody supplying consumer goods or services make fortunes in the lead up to Christmas because consumers insist on having something for that day that could easily be purchased at any time of the year for much less. That’s including the finance companies and credit card providers who delight in seeing you buying something for more than you should pay for it.

Think about it.  Do you really need that sofa because Auntie Mary is coming for Christmas dinner? She will be gone the day after and then the sales start!  Wise up! For clever consumers, Christmas is the time not to buy anything of expense.