Christmas and Consumption Responsible Purchase

Christmas and consumption are two concepts that increasingly shake their hands. When Christmas arrives, the streets are filled with lights, shops are adorned with Christmas motifs and from their speakers you can hear Christmas carols. However, Christmas is not necessary to breathe this Christmas atmosphere, since decoration in many shops even put it in August and lights on public road. But, Why does Christmas come before and? What is the objective of advancing this date so indicated for one month, even two?

Content

• Christmas and consumption
• Christmas and conditioning
• Christmas and Consumption: Control our expenses
  • Bibliography

Christmas and consumption

If we had to define Christmas in a few events, these could be: Listen to Christmas carols, trees full of lights and balls, nativity scenes, lights and Christmas motifs on streets, etc. Let's say The atmosphere changes, both at home and outside. In fact, many people expect Christmas for such picturesque decoration with which many municipalities decorate their cities and towns. The atmosphere seems to change completely. And it is not any change, but we also usually become more sensitive, more supportive and more loving.

As is well known, Christmas is a gift date. In some countries gifts are made by Santa Claus, in others for the Magi, and in other countries for both. Little by little, over time, Christmas has been associated to give. Christmas and consumption have become almost insepatible. We give our family and friends. Christmas has also been associated with great family food banquets. They try to prepare dishes that the rest of the year are usually eaten more occasionally, both for their high price and for their elaborate preparation. So it can be inferred that at Christmas spending is much greater than throughout the year.

Christmas and conditioning

When Pavlov played a bell before bringing food closer to his dogs, they salivated. The animals had associated the sound of the bell with the presence of the food and the salivation behavior began. This simple conditioning is known as classic conditioning.

Somehow, with Christmas something similar happens to us. In the case of Pavlov, the food elicits a salivation response by itself, that is, an innovative stimulus (food) causes an unconditional response (salivation). When a neutral stimulus (sound) is put before food, an association occurs. So the sound becomes a conditioned stimulus that causes a salivation response itself, so it would already be a conditioned response.

In our case, and quite summarized, Christmas could be the unconditioned stimulus since when this date arrives, Our link with consumption is so high that our desire to buy. It is essential to say that the fact that Christmas acts as an unconditioned stimulus requires enough conditioning through. However, consumption with Christmas is already so associated, that in this article it will be addressed as an unconditioned stimulus per se.

Thus, Christmas would be our unconditioned stimulus and purchases the unconditional response. Now, what elements can we use to generate the purchase response associated with Christmas? Lights, carols and decoration. At Christmas everything is filled with Christmas lights, so If these lights hang a month and a half before, the consumption response can be activated and the number of purchases will increase.

Christmas and Consumption: Control our expenses

It is normal that after the strong association between Christmas and consumption, when this date comes we feel a strong impulse towards consumption. Even so, there are certain tips thanks to which we can control our expenses:

• Take money. Thanks to the pay card pay is more comfortable, however, the negative aspect is that we are not really aware of everything we spend. If we want to have a more real perception of the money we spend this Christmas, it is best to have money in the portfolio. In this way, we will appreciate how the number of tickets and coins is decreasing and we can be more aware of the expense we carry.
• Buy what is necessary. Christmas, like the sales, incite to buy, but does not force, that is, we do not have to buy something we do not need. How many times have we bought something that we have used very rarely or none? We have been carried away by the time of year or for the price and we have made an unnecessary expense. That is why, fundamental Think and reflect on whether what we are going to buy is necessary in our lives.
• Gifts: The righteous. Giving a child five classes of toys is over-stimulated. We think that the more gifts, the better. But reality is very different. If a child is given two or three things, he will enjoy them more than if we fill the living room with boxes and boxes of different toys. The more you have to choose, the less you will know what to play and before it will get bored.
• Eat with head. Food is another important aspect at Christmas. The prices of a certain kind of food are triggered on these dates, so the expense can be increased if we want to consume these types of food. The issue lies on the need to have to acquire certain foods. Do we have to eat these foods at Christmas for an astronomical price or can we eat them the rest of the year at a more moderate price?

Bibliography

Domjan, m. (2012). Learning and Behavior Principles. Madrid: Paraninfo