Instagram trends increase Christmas pressure, say parents

Christmas can be a difficult time for many, including those facing financial strain.

Gone are the days when children would circle their favorite toys in a catalogue, hoping to receive them from Santa.

Instead, social media “hauls”—where influencers showcase items they have purchased—have become the new go-to catalogue, with some parents noting that this adds significant pressure to an already stressful season.

Parenting blogger Charlotte Harding said she found the cost of Christmas presents this year “quite stressful”.

“As the boys have got older, the presents have become more expensive,” she added.

Charlotte explained that game consoles and concert tickets topped the wish lists, but it is not just the main gifts that drive up costs.

“The boys have asked for advent calendars that are about £25 plus, which to be honest would be a Christmas present in itself. But this is for the run up to Christmas.”

She noted that she had even heard of young girls requesting beauty advent calendars priced at hundreds of pounds.

Charlotte observed that social media plays a major role in shaping children’s Christmas lists, particularly through the influence of increasingly younger content creators who advertise various products.

“But children don’t know the amount of money these things cost… and the parents are really starting to feel the pressure of it.”

Charlotte Harding believes social media hauls are responsible for driving up costs around Christmas.

However, it is not just the gifts themselves that are becoming expensive.

Social media trends like Elf on the Shelf and Christmas Eve boxes, alongside various festive events, are also inflating costs during the holiday period.

“The latest trend I’ve seen is a plane and you go see Santa, and apparently it’s amazing,” said parent blogger Stephanie Handwell.

Stephanie, who runs the blog Welsh Mummy Steph, admitted she has felt the weight of these social trends in the past.

“You’ve got the Polar Express, the Santa experiences and afternoon tea with Santa. I sometimes have to check myself and think when I was a child, I saw Santa once and it was still magical,” she said.

“It was probably the things we did as a family that I really remember.”

She admitted she has felt the pressure of social trends in the past.

“I’ve decided to keep my PR calendar minimised because it creates this expectation, and I don’t like that because I feel that myself as a parent,” she said.

Caitlin Acreman, who manages the Haul at 4 Instagram page, has also reduced her Christmas-related content due to the cost of living crisis.

“You can still have an amazing Christmas and make loads of memories in a budget-friendly way,” she said.

Caitlin mentioned that while she enjoys seeing people celebrate online, she believes “comparison is the thief of joy”.

“I like to go on my stories a show there is a person there, I’m a mum of two and I’m constantly finding ways to be budget friendly and save those pennies.

“I like to come on there because people can relate to it a little bit better,” she said.

Elf on the Shelf has become increasingly popular across the UK over the last decade.

Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, a professor of consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, explained that the festive season can be complicated for many, especially with the added expectation “to be happy”.

“If you don’t have the ability to do that – such as having this massive Christmas meal with your family – then it often leaves people feeling inadequate or lonely,” she said.

She added that financial strain can sometimes alter how people perceive the holiday season.

Fiona Barnard, who writes the Life of a Crazy Mum blog, agrees that Christmas “can be a tough time for people with mental health and financial issues”.

“More often than not, all children want to do at Christmas is spend time with their family and their loved ones.

“Most of us work full time, some of us are single parents or only see our children at weekend.

“So when it comes to Christmas it’s not about running around piling them full of presents or slaving away in the kitchen for half the day, where they don’t see us.”

She suggested that we should “bring it back to basics” regarding the true meaning of the holiday.

“It’s about family. It’s about sharing time and sharing love, as opposed to sharing pits full of money that we don’t have.”