A Season of Too Much, and a Chance To Choose Better
Every year, as soon as Black Friday hits, Australia flips a switch. One minute we’re living our normal lives, the next we’re knee-deep in sales, countdown timers and “last chance” banners. Then Christmas piles on top of it, and suddenly we’re in a full-blown consumption mania.
Even someone like me, who loves intentional living, creative thinking and all things community, can feel the pull. The pressure to buy. The idea that “more” equals “better.” The little voice saying, “It’s on sale… maybe I should.”
Maybe you feel it too.
How We Got Here
Australia goes hard during this season. We spend more than $67 billion across November and December, and our waste increases by about 30%.
It’s wild when you think about it. And the psychology is strong:
Scarcity.
Social expectations.
Gift guilt.
Marketing engineered to trigger urgency.
We’re smart people, but this stuff is designed to override all logic. Even the most environmentally conscious among us get caught off guard.
The Real Tension
Here’s the part I wrestle with every year. I know the environmental cost, I know the pressure it puts on families, I know how fast cheap items break, get returned or end up in landfill, but I still feel the internal hum of “maybe I should buy something.”
It’s human, it’s cultural, and it’s all happening at once.
So… What Do We Do?
We don’t have to boycott the season or turn into a Grinch. We have to get smarter and more conscious.
Choose meaning over stuff.
Experiences, local makers, classes, workshops, term passes, memberships, and the things that last longer than packaging.
Back small businesses.
Australian small businesses are the backbone of our communities. Their offers create real impact:
family passes, kids programs, local vouchers, community bundles, and slow-sale days instead of panic-sale days.
Simplify your own decisions.
The rule that helps me most is simple:
If I don’t buy it at full price next month, I won’t buy it on sale today.
And when in doubt, think about the future you. Would they thank you? Or would they sigh at the clutter?
Designers, we set the tone.
We can build campaigns that favour calm over chaos, story over scarcity and longevity over landfill.
Better design leads to better decisions.
A Season That Feels Good Again
This time of year can be beautiful. Slower days, warm nights, family, friends, community and meaning. It just shouldn’t require buying ourselves into exhaustion. We can choose experiences over excess, quality over quantity and presence over pressure. A season that supports people, local makers, small businesses and the planet.
That’s the kind of Australian Christmas I want to be part of.
Love,
Chloe
