For this last article of the year, we had planned – a few months ago – to talk to you about skiing, travel, family meals, and all those little things that make the magic of the holiday season. And then, the pandemic entered the equation, causing everyone to totally rethink this key time of year. Between the desire to celebrate, precaution, solidarity and … what trends are emerging for this special Christmas?
Not one, but two, three, four Christmas!
In the current context, it seems difficult to have the whole family for Christmas. Well, let’s feast more, in small groups! It won’t be one, but many Christmas meals, not one, but two or more New Year’s Eve, and so on. It’s a great opportunity to take the time to talk to each other, to exchange, to savor these little moments of life.
Thus in Switzerland “Three out of four respondents expect the Christmas period to be different this year.»
The same goes for France, where “six out of ten French people will celebrate Christmas in a totally different way than in other years (63%). On average, they will gather with 6 people, or even less “.
Ecological, ethical, solidarity and local gifts
For this Christmas, another trend is taking shape: giving, yes, but different. Less, but more “useful”. Less expensive, but more qualitative. Less “international”, but more local. In short : to offer something that makes sense, not only for those who receive it, but also for those who offer it, helping in the process, as much as possible, the one who created it.
The “online ethical Christmas markets”, the “20 Swiss – local – gift ideas” and other similar alternatives have been flourishing for a few days on digital platforms, thus providing an answer in line with the aspirations of the Swiss population. For “Almost half of the Swiss (49%) plan to spend up to CHF 200, about a third less than the average of previous years. 80% of those surveyed said they do not want to buy Christmas presents abroad. »
Breaking down rituals and allowing ourselves a little “flexibility”: the solution for a successful 2020 Christmas ?
As Isabelle Raboud-Schüle mentioned on the Swiss radio, “The solutions for celebrating Christmas are very varied. Because the image of family celebrations are mostly inherited from the 19th century, the bourgeois family party celebrating Christmas around the Christmas tree, at a table. But there are 1000 other ways to celebrate Christmas! “And going back in time proves us that. For “Christmas became something to regulate, more identity-based, in the 19th century and was claimed in many ways. Finally, each family has found its rituals in its thick layers of tradition and we like to repeat the same thing every year, to find something known, it reassures us in this end of year period. »
While we reassure ourselves, “we’re going to make a mark anyway! The symbolism is there, we can’t miss it,” says the ethnologist. We’ll just ignore the negotiations about which side of the family will have the chance to be “elected” for the meal on the 25th, who to invite or not to invite, to whom to offer gifts or not to offer gifts, what about the seating plan, among other issues and tensions that, let’s be honest, always float a bit as D-Day approaches. What if, in the end, this Christmas could not simply be “serene”? Let’s allow ourselves more flexibility, let’s relax the pressure, and let’s enjoy it!
It is on this optimistic note that we conclude this article, an opportunity for us to celebrate the end of the year, whatever the form!
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Articles sources :
https://www.swiss-retail.ch/fr/news-fr/perspectives-daffaires-moroses-pour-noel-2020/
Sondage Odoxa : http://www.odoxa.fr/sondage/un-noel-pas-comme-les-autres/
https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/la-matinale/video/pourquoi-nol-est-il-important–interview-disabelle-raboud-ethnologue-et-directrice-du-musee-gruerien-a-bulle-video?id=11797039