In the comedic movie Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold uncovers countless storage boxes from his garage, unpacks the strings of lights and festive yard ornaments they contain and spends hours decorating his house and snow-covered lawn. In the process, he has several mishaps with his ladder and at one point falls off the roof of his home. During various scenes, the Griswolds create fire hazards in their home, including grossly over-loaded circuits and pets chewing on extension cords leading to the electrocution of their aunt’s cat. The excessive electrical load from the holiday light display is shown by the electrical meter rapidly accumulating wattage. At one point, the decorated natural Christmas tree had become dry and was ignited by a nearby flame, causing the entire tree to burn in the living room. Although the film tells the story comically, the personal and financial hardships and risks of injury and property damage faced by the Griswolds are very real and relatable to all who decide to decorate their homes for Christmas. Once you understand the true costs (e.g., storage, items, electricity, etc.), and the risks (e.g., property, fire, injury), you may reconsider the extent to which you decide to partake in the decorating of your home.

Have you ever asked yourself if storing boxes of plastic decorations for 11 months of every year, only to use them in December is worthwhile? Do you how much your Christmas decorations cost you? Have you questioned whether the benefit of illuminating your eaves is worth the risk of injury from falling from a ladder or roof? Have you considered the risks of fires related to Christmas decorations?

The average American spends $269 per year on Christmas decorations, which typically include Christmas trees, ornaments, and lights (Burris, 2023). The electrical cost of operating Christmas lights ranges between $13.94 and $46.62 depending on your location and electricity cost (Martin, 2019). In addition to incurring financial costs, keen decorators are also risking their safety. There are an estimated 14,000 holiday-decoration-related injuries yearly and 6 deaths, with the most common cause being falls from ladders (Nicholson & Kubinec, 2016). Dry Christmas trees pose a significant fire risk to homes, contributing to around $17 Million of property loss every year.

The Griswolds likely spent thousands of dollars on their lavish Christmas display and used up significant space in their home to store the items throughout the year. The cost to illuminate their home for the season was likely substantial based on the condition of the electrical meter! To decorate their home, they endured falls, and fires, caused property damage to their neighbors’ home, and the death of a pet cat. At one point in the film, the Griswolds are at financial risk of not being able to meet a liability – a check written with insufficient funds in the bank account to cover the amount owed. As a viewer, I could not help but wonder what would cause the Griswolds to prioritize spending on the extravagant Christmas decoration display over financial responsibilities. But then I realized that it is not only the Griswolds, but many in society that choose debt, wasteful spending, and risky behaviors under the excuse of Christmas – but why? Well, I can’t explain why we make these strange choices, but I can decide not to participate in this behavior and attempt to inform others that we do not need to put our finances and safety at risk to conform to what we believe are societal expectations to decorate your home at Christmas time. Celebrate Christmas safely and in a way that you can afford to!

References:

Burris, R. (2023, May 31). How Much Do Americans Spend On Holiday Decorations? Rocket Homes. https://www.rockethomes.com/blog/housing-market/how-much-do-americans-spend-on-holiday-decorations

Martin, E. (2019, December 24). This map shows how much it costs to run Christmas lights in every state. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/24/map-shows-how-much-it-costs-to-run-christmas-lights-in-every-state.html

Nicholson, K., & Kubinec, V.-L. (2016, December 16). I-TIP: Avoid becoming a Christmas casualty | CBC News. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/iteam/i-tip-christmas-decoration-hazards-1.3898339