Isabella Bustos / The Cougar
As the holidays get closer, social media feeds begin to shift. Photos of an aesthetic table set-up, floor-to-ceiling decorations and perfectly coordinated family outfits take over Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Holiday content arrives each year, and with it comes a pressure that many young adults and families say is difficult to ignore.
What was once a season centered on connection has increasingly become the time of year where people compare themselves to others.
Financial impact
The rise of highly curated holiday posts has created expectations that feel out of reach for many. Influencers share perfectly decorated trees, themed parties and gift hauls that can total hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Even the average user posts pictures of their most photogenic moments, often after rearranging furniture or adjusting lighting.
For viewers, especially those balancing tight budgets or managing holiday stress, these images can feel less like inspiration and more like a reminder of what they cannot replicate.
Financial strain plays a significant role. According to an article by The New York Post, some groups are under more “giving pressure” than others.
64% of Gen Z and 66% of millennials feel more of a burden to give than older generations. 25% of people said gift-hauls, gift guides and “wish-list culture” pressures them to overspend on gifts.
22% of people said they purchased a gift for someone based on social media trends and later regretted it because, while the gift was trendy, it was not meaningful.
On TikTok, trending “gift-guides” and “holiday basket ideas” often encourage people to buy luxury skincare, designer perfumes and coordinated “aesthetic” gift baskets filled with multiple pricey items. What began as a creative inspiration has turned into pressure to present gifts that look impressive online.
People naturally feel like they should match what they see online. This pressure affects young adults the most. Many are early in their careers, navigating the rising cost of living or trying to stick to their budget. But social media can make even modest gifts feel inadequate.
A present that would have been thoughtful on its own seems insufficient next to curated gift hauls wrapped in coordinated paper and bows. The desire to give meaningful gifts becomes tangled with the desire to provide “Instagram-worthy” ones.
Emotional impact
The emotional cost is just as significant. The holiday season is one of the most intense periods of the year for people, as they compare their lives to others’. The combination of festive content and personal expectations can magnify feelings of loneliness, financial insecurity and stress.
While social media often shows the polished results of near-perfect kitchens and mountains of gifts, it rarely shows the arguments and hours of preparation.
Some people started pushing back against the trend. They are choosing simpler versions of the holidays. This begins with smaller gatherings and reused decorations.
Despite the noise online, many people still want what the holidays have always been meant to provide: connection, comfort and time spent with loved ones. Those moments rarely look perfect, and they rarely resemble what appears on social media feeds.
As the season begins, families and young adults face a choice. They can chase the idealized holidays they see on social media, or they can reclaim traditions that do not require perfection, only presence.
opinion@thedailycougar.com
Great Job Caroline Bouillion & the Team @ The Cougar for sharing this story.
