Christmas Debt Starts With a Gift
46% of Gen Z skipped rent or mortgage payments to spend on the holidays, according to a survey shared by stupidDOPE.
Christmas Debt Starts With a Gift
The stat comes from stupidDOPE: 46% of Gen Z skipped paying rent or the mortgage to spend on the holidays. Christmas debt starts long before December 24.
Just look at the December table: the rent bill at one end and, next to the tree, a list of names that doesn't fit your paycheck. Nobody wants to show up to the gift exchange empty-handed.
What It Costs to Look Good
In a Hispanic family, the end-of-year gift carries weight: there are uncles, cousins, godparents, the friend who always shows up. And the stares weigh more than the spending. Many times people buy on credit not what the other person needs, but what they fear will be said around the table after the meal.
«Generosity becomes debt and debt becomes guilt.»
That's the trap: generosity becomes debt and debt becomes guilt. Money stops being a tool and becomes a verdict on your worth. Spending more doesn't make you a better son or daughter, a better friend or a better Christian. What you do with what you have says more about you than the amount.
Your worth isn't set by the number you pay. Your Creator sets it: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27, ESV). That doesn't change with your balance or with a modest December.
A Gift Doesn't Measure Love
A gift paid in installments is a gift you'll still be paying for in March. And a payment that starts in January shapes every decision of the year: the job you accept, the trip you don't take, the month that runs short.
On giving, Scripture doesn't ask for heroic amounts or gestures that sink you: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV).
Cheerful, not anguished over the credit card. A simple table with people who love you is worth more than a photo of expensive gifts that nobody is going to pay for on your behalf.
There is something healthy in saying out loud that this year you can't do so much. Setting the limit early, before walking into the store, is kinder than disappearing in January. And if you already have debt, don't hide it: write it down, add it up, decide how much you can pay each month and stop adding new purchases to it.
Have, Give, Don't Touch
Before you buy, separate three lines in your notebook or in your bank app. First, have: what actually comes into your account, not counting the bonus that hasn't arrived yet or the money you're expecting. Second, give: a fixed amount for gifts, agreed on with yourself and with whoever shares your expenses.
Third, don't touch: rent, food, transportation, utilities and emergency fund. That last line gets touched at the end, or not at all. When rent and food are safe, a small gift stops being a defeat.
This Christmas you can give without going into debt and celebrate without owing anything to January. Start today with a single decision: write down your "give" number before leaving the house.
